31 Days: Barbecue Cheddar Spiral Bread

Welcome to Day 23 of 31 Days of Baking as part of Write31Days October challenge.

Since I have been doing so much sweet, today I'm bringing on the savory. Baking does not always have to be sweet. Today's recipe is really super easy too so if you are in a hurry, it is quick to throw together.

Barbecue Cheddar Spiral Bread
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons vinegar
2 teaspoons Pantry Barbecue Seasoning mix
2 garlic cloves, pressed
4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)
2 packages (7.5 ounces each) refrigerated buttermilk or flaky biscuits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, melt butter on high 15-30 seconds; add ketchup, vinegar, seasoning mix and garlic pressed. Mix well. Separate biscuits. Dip one side of each biscuit into barbecue sauce mixture and then into cheese. Repeat, arranging biscuits in an overlapping circular pattern. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to rack. Cool 10 minutes. Slice using bread knife. Yield 8 services.
source: Pampered Chef

What I changed:

A lot. Why? Because I hate ketchup so I don't buy it. Nor do I like vinegar. What I used instead is bottled barbecue sauce. The biscuits I had were the jumbo huge ones like Grands so I sliced them in half the long way to make 2 thin but large-around biscuits.

My Thoughts:

A little bland. I would make again because I think the taste would be better with more bbq sauce and cheese. I like the garlic chunks I layered in between the biscuits so I would add more garlic too.

Till tomorrow...

31 Days: Dark-Chocolate Cookies with Espresso

Welcome to Day 22 of 31 Days of Baking as part of Write31Days October challenge.

OMG! Are you ready? 

These dark chocolate morsels are the best cookie ever! I don't even like coffee but the mocha flavor makes me swoon. I had a hard time actually baking the cookies because the dough tastes soo good. Not going to lie but I saved some dough to eat later. :)

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Espresso
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 4 ounces melted and 4 ounces coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; mix in vanilla. Combine espresso powder and melted chocolate; beat into butter mixture. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in chopped chocolate.
3. Drop dough by two heaping tablespoons, 3 inches apart, onto two baking sheets Bake until edges are dry, 14 to 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. (To store, keep in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.) yield 22.
source: unknown

What I changed:

I didn't bother with the rack position and tray rotating. Made half of recipe. Even with my eating of the dough and saving some for later, I still got 12 cookies from half a batch.

The beaters were licking good!

My thoughts:

See beginning above. DELICIOUS! Make these for any mocha lover. Watch how long you leave in oven. I think 14 minutes might be 1 minute too long if you prefer a chewier cookie like me.

Till tomorrow...

31 Days: Peanut Butter Bonbons

Welcome to Day 21 of 31 Days of Baking as part of Write31Days October challenge.

Coming from the great state of Ohio, Buckeyes are one of my favorite desserts. What is a Buckeye? Not the nut or the sports team, but a delicious peanut butter and chocolate bite-sized morsel. Simply delicious. Think Reese's Peanut Butter cups on steroids. Yeah, now your mouth is watering. Oddly enough, I'm not sure if I have ever made these treats until now. I have several recipes but have never tried them. Today's recipe is called Peanut Butter Bonbons but in reality, they are Buckeyes.

In tribute to my soon-to-happen trip to my home state, I give you Buckeyes!

Peanut Butter Bonbons
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk
3 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 teaspoons solid white vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons melted white chocolate, optional

In large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter and milk; blend well. Shape mixture into 24 balls, using about 2 teaspoons per ball. refrigerate balls about 1 hour or until firm.

In small, heavy saucepan over low heat, melt semisweet chocolate and shortening. (or microwave in 1-quart microwave-safe bowl at medium (50% power) 3 to 4 minutes, stirring every minute until chocolate and shortening are melted and smooth.) With fork, dip chilled balls into chocolate mixture, coating well remove excess chocolate by tapping gently on side of dish. Place bonbons on foil-lined  cookie sheet and refrigerate 1 hour or until set. Drizzle melted white chocolate on top.
source: unknown

What I changed:

If you look at my bag of confectioners sugar, you will notice I have very little left from I borrowed from a friend. Therefore, I could only make recipe based on what I had left. Hence, a very little amount. Six Buckeyes only. One didn't even get chocolate covered because I ate it. :)  For squares of semisweet chocolate, I used chocolate chips. I didn't fully dip the balls in chocolate as recipe says because that is not how real Buckeyes are. This is why you can see the fork marks on mine. I wonder how you dip bonbons without the marks?

My Thoughts:

Hell yes! 'Nough said.

Till tomorrow...

31 Days: Homemade Pretzels

Welcome to Day 20 of 31 Days of Baking as part of Write31Days October challenge.

This pretzel recipe was not on my original list, but I needed to make a few substitutes as I did not acquire all the ingredients for a few. This recipe calls for brushing beaten eggs onto the pretzel dough. As part of my challenged kitchen, I don't have a brush. What I used instead, my fingers. They work well. Takes a little longer but they get the job done.

Homemade Pretzels
2 packages dry yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
kosher or coarse salt

Mix yeast, water and sugar in a bowl. Let sit approximately 10 minutes until frothy. If it doesn't get frothy, your water was too hot and you killed the yeast; try again!) Add flour and salt. Flour your hands and work the dough until you have a soft, smooth (no longer sticky) dough. Break off a piece and roll it between your palms until you have a 12-inch rope. Twist into a pretzel shape; place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Beat the egg with one tablespoon water and brush each pretzel, then sprinkle with Kosher salt. bake at 425 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Eat pretzels warm, or reheat later in the microwave.
source: Gooseberry Patch cookbook

What I changed:

I made half the recipe. Instead of kosher salt, I used my Jacobsen Salt sampler.

My Thoughts:

Good flavor. I'm glad I used the salt sampler to add different flavors. Your arms will get a little tired rolling the dough strands. I'm glad I only made half the recipe. I would make it again. Wish I had some cheese sauce to dip these in.

Till tomorrow...

31 Days: Maple Butter Twists

Welcome to Day 19 of 31 Days of Baking as part of Write31Days October challenge.

Almost didn't make today's post as my inaptness with yeast breads really showed today. But I got it done and here it is.

Maple Butter Twists
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
about 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
1/2 cup chopped pecans

For dough, soften yeast in warm water. Heat milk just until warm (105 to 110F). In a large bowl, combine warm like, butter, sugar and salt. Add yeast mixture. Stir in eggs. Add about 1 3/4 cups of flour; beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining 1 3/4 cups flour to make a moderately soft dough. Turn out onto floured surface; knead dough until smooth (3 to 5 minutes total). Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour). Punch dough down. Divide in half. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for filling, stir together remaining ingredients except pecans; set aside. Grease two 8-1 1/2 inch round baking pans. Grease the outside of two 6-ounce custard cups; place a cup upside-down in center of each pan. Set aside.

On lightly floured surface, roll one dough portion to 14x8 inch rectangle. Spread with half of the filling. Sprinkle with half of the pecans. Roll up, starting with a long side. Seal ends and seam. Cut roll in half length-wise. Place halves side by side; twist strips together, keeping cut sides up. Gently stretch to 18 inches long. Form into a ring; moisten ends and press to seal. Place the ring around custard cup in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Cover and let rise until nearly double (30 to 40 minutes). Place pans on baking sheets to catch any drips while baking. Bake in a 350F oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until golden. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Loosened edges and carefully remove from pans; carefully remove cups. cool slightly on wire racks. Serve warm or cool. Makes 2 twists (6 to 8 servings each).
source: Hometown Cooking magazine, December 1999

The Filling

What I changed:

I made half of recipe. I am pretty sure I killed most of the yeast as the dough did not rise very much. Plus the spot where I placed dough for the initial rise was not as warm as I thought. Once I moved bowl, an hour later, to a warmer spot, it did start to rise somewhat. I went with what it did do. I also did not pay attention to the directions when it said to cut log lengthwise. I cut in half. Oops. So I sliced one of the halves lengthwise and tried to twist. It was too small and messy but I went with it. In the end I had one small twist and one log.

My Thoughts:

Since I baked on a cookie sheet instead of in a round pan, I think the filling oozed too much. I scraped it off the cookie sheet and slathered it on top. It hardened instantly into a crunchy top. Another error on my part. Taste-wise, the bread is good. I may have to make again properly to get the full effect.

Till tomorrow...