Baking with Blobby

Here and there you've seen - probably on my 12 of 12 - a certain chocolate cherry muffin I get on Saturdays after my run. 

The Old Man's Running Group goes to a bakery after, well, all of their runs, and on Saturday this particular bakery has these muffins. They rotate the muffin flavour each day, so Saturday is the only day I can get these. 

But with being out of town this last weekend, I wasn't at the run or the bakery. What's a Blobby to do???

In theory, I should have tried baking these long ago and save me all kinds of money. Probably for the price of one muffin, I could put the same amount of money into ingredients and make 12 times the amount of muffins. 

So......that's what I did. Or tried. As you can see, it's a little ingredient-heavy, but probably on par with a lot of baking things. It goes quickly and clean up is done well before the timer goes off. 

Let's go on a baking adventure. 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process) 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 cup canola oil 

1/2 cup buttermilk 

2 large eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed 

1 cup (heaping) sour cherries, halved 

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Instructions 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Line a muffin tin with paper liners or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. 

In another bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and well combined. 

Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. 

Fold in the cherries and chocolate chips. 

Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. 

Cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

It will come as no shock to you that the bakery muffins are superior to Blobby's. 

These look ok. Smell great. But honestly, it comes down to taste - and these are passable, but they're not like what I get on Saturdays. 

There are no sour cherries yet available here, so I used frozen sweet cherries. It makes a difference fos sure. And even in a 350 degree oven the chocolate chips didn't entirely melt. I don't mind the textrure, I just wasn't really expecting it. 

And they were not moist. To get the toothpick to come out clean, I had to bake for an additional five minutes. I'm sure that didn't help with the dry factor, but I'm guessing it's something else too - but I don't know what.  More oil? Add butter? More buttermilk? 

I mean, there are a lot of recipes out there for these, I just picked the one that looked closest to what I buy. It doesn't mean it is the correct recipe. 

But at least I'll have muffins for a while. Half are in the freezer. 

Baking with Blobby

Honestly - all this baking. 

Yes it is a distraction and it is me eating my feelings. I'm kind of afraid to get on the scale next week. My white sugar addiction and my decrease in running due to the weather can't be me showing positive results with my poundage. 

710 mentioned peanut butter cookies the other day. I've never made them - though let's be honest, I haven't made a ton of cookies - period. And while I love love love peanut butter, their cookies have never been my go-to. 

I know some have chopped nuts in them, but I didn't have any peanuts on hand - and it's really really really cold out, so I wasn't going out to get any.  And I still have a thing about nuts in food, though I can probably deal with peanuts in these cookies............to a degree. 

But what else is there to do when you're literally stuck in the house due to sub-zero temps and the threat of a foot of snow? 

Fire up the oven and Kitchen Aid mixer - that's what.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 180g 

1/2 cup butter unsalted, room temp 113g 

1 cup peanut butter 250g 

1/2 cup brown sugar 100g, lightly packed 

1/2 cup sugar 100g 

1 tsp vanilla extract 5mL 

1 egg large, room temp 

3/4 tsp baking powder 3g 

Instructions

Preheat over to 350F 

Sift flour and baking powder together then whisk to combine. 

Cream butter and sugars in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. You can add an optional 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt. 

Add peanut butter and mix until incorporated. 

Mix in egg and vanilla extract then add flour mixture and beat until incorporated. 

Roll dough into one inch balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Flatten cookies with a fork in a criss-cross pattern. Bake cookies for about 10 minutes. 

Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet, they need to set up before being transferred.

All of this was fairly easy to do. It comes together quickly. The dough isn't sticky and while I always struggle with dough / serving size, you'd think I'd know what a "one inch ball" looks like........as opposed to me thinking they're just unfortunate. 

But it worked out. Honestly, the hardest part was the criss-cross pattern after the tray was full as cookie balls. A lot of positioning to get it done. I'm not saying it was hard, just the hardest part - I mean, besides clean-up (which was all done before the cookies were ready to come out). 

It yielded about 38 cookies. 

Baking with Blobby

It seems lately I'm just eating my feeling or something. Honestly, have you ever seen so many Baking or Cooking posts? 

Cooking I get. We need dinner. And leftovers for dinner or lunch. I'm not convinced I need cookies. Don't get me wrong, I can (and have) talk myself into it. 

Clearly. 

Actually, I wanted to make these Jam Thumbprint cookies during the holidays and just couldn't get it together. I had time, just not focus or commitment. Still, I found a free hour or so to make them and knocked them out. 

Ingredients 

1 cup unsalted butter softened (227g) 

¾ cup granulated sugar (150g) 

2 large egg yolks 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

½ teaspoon salt 

3 cups all-purpose flour (360g) 

1 tablespoon milk or water only if needed 

⅓ cup fruit jam (strawberry, raspberry, or apricot jam) 

Instructions 

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. 

Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and salt*, and beat until well combined. 

* I forgot the salt. Do not forget the salt. 

While mixing on low, gradually add in the flour and beat just until combined. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed during mixing. 

Test the dough by balling up about a tablespoon of the dough, then press your thumb into the center. If the dough forms large cracks**, mix 1 tablespoon of milk or water into the dough. 

**I had wayyyyyy too many cracks, so I added the milk and that pretty much solved the problem. 

Scoop a 1 tablespoon-sized portion of the dough and roll it into a smooth ball between your palms (If desired, toss in granulated sugar to coat the outside.) Place the dough ball on a parchment- or wax paper-lined sheet or plate, and immediately press your thumb or the back of a teaspoon into the center of the ball to create a cavity. (Gently wiggle as you press to help prevent any cracks. If any do form, press them back together.) Continue rolling and shaping the remaining dough balls. Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour. (They can stay in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking, or frozen for up to 3 months.) 

I did these on plates because it was too much work to try to fit full cookie sheets into the refrig or freezer

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Working with one sheet at a time, place the frozen dough on the cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Fill with about ½ teaspoon of jam. (Thumbprints should be very full but not overflowing.) 

Bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 14 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn brown. Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

First off - this is supposed to make 30 cookies. I made 37. So the cookies should have been bigger that what I formed, which makes sense for 1/2 teaspoon of jam. 1/2 was way too much for my thumbprints. 

I made a sheet of apricot and raspberry (avec seeds). 

They are good. I think the salt would have made them stand out a bit more. I also may have let them bake for an additional minute or two. That is just my preference.  710 really likes them, so that's good. 

I have to bring a dessert to a banquet in a few weeks - I'm thinking of of making a sheet of these. Easy to make. Easy to transport. 

Baking with Blobby

Tis the season and all. 

I mean, aren't December holidays about baked goods?  Just humour me and say 'yes'. 

I know people who are the kind who will take days off of work to bake hundreds of cookies. Sometimes hundreds of dozens of them. 

I like these people because sometimes I'm the recipient of their hard work and better yet, I don't have to bake. 

But I have been more confident about my baking over the last few years and while I'm not ever going to join a cookie swap (probably) I can stick to one cookie recipe here and there. 

I saw a recipe for Peppermint Brownie Cookies.

Even the name has three things I like. And it didn't look horribly complicated. And save for one ingredient, I had everything. I mean who really has candy canes or starlight mints hanging around? 

So the other day I got to work. And they're not a lot of that. I say prep first (again) since this one goes fast and I thought I'd have more time between steps.  

I did not.  Let's get to it. 

Ingredients 

Yield: 12 cookies (lies - all lies. It made 10 + 1 smaller one)

4 ounces/113 grams semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (¾ cup) 

½ cup/42 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed 

½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter 

2l arge eggs, at room temperature 

¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar 

½ packed cup/107 grams dark brown sugar 

1 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) 

1½ teaspoons peppermint extract 

¾ cup/90 grams all-purpose flour 

¼ cup/41 grams crushed peppermint candy 

Preparation

Step 1 Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  (easiest step by far)

Before

After

Step 2 Put chocolate and ¼ cup/21 grams cocoa powder in a small heatproof bowl or glass measuring cup. Melt butter in a skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat until bubbly but not browned, and pour over the chocolate. Without stirring, let the mixture sit so the residual heat can melt the chocolate thoroughly while you whip the eggs and sugar. 

Step 3 Put the eggs, both sugars and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high speed until the mixture is pillowy and the sugars have begun to dissolve, 6 to 8 minutes. 

Step 4 Stir the chocolate mixture until glossy and smooth. If any solid pieces remain, you can microwave the mixture in 10-second bursts until everything is melted. 

Step 5 With the mixer on low speed, add the peppermint extract and then the chocolate mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then add the flour and remaining ¼ cup/21 grams cocoa, and mix on low until a few streaks of flour and cocoa remain. Use the spatula to finish folding in the dry ingredients to avoid overmixing. The dough will be looser than traditional cookie dough but not as thin as brownie batter. 

Step 6 Use a ¼-cup cookie scoop or measuring cup to scoop 12 (2-ounce) balls of batter onto the prepared sheets and bake. After 10 minutes, take the sheets out of the oven and bang them once on the counter to create a craggy surface and dense texture. Sprinkle a bit of crushed peppermint candy in the center of each cookie and return to the oven for another 2 minutes. 

Step 7 Let cool completely on the baking sheets. The cookies will keep for 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature. (second easiest step)

The cooking time is so short, I didn't have time to do my entire clean-up in between. The texture is dense, to the bowl, apatula and mixer paddle aren't quick cleans. 

It looks decent and not too cow-patty-ish.  The size is decent and while I am normally a two cookie guy at dessert time, this calls for one and one only. They are rich - not quite cookie, not quite brownie. The shards on top are decorative at best. The mint flavour comes from the extract that went in. 

I wouldn't say these are year round cookies. They seem very seasonal. But good.  I'm assuming you can make them smaller to have more than a dozen per batch. 

Baking with Blobby

Today I'm tackling what I consider a big one: a double layer chocolate cake. 

Ina Garten's Beatty's Chocolate Cake. I don't think it's named after Warren..........but you never know. 

Honestly, I was looking for a reason to make a cake - this cake - but I just couldn't justify having a big cake sitting around. 

However, yesterday was our 15th wedding anniversary. We really never do anything special, though 710 said he'd bring food in for dinner, so. I thought I'd provide dessert. 

15 is traditionally the 'crystal' anniversary, but since none of us collect figurines or Waterford, I got us something we can both enjoy: pre-diabetes. 

Fifteen years later and I still tease 710 about not having Georgetown cupcakes on our wedding day. To be fair, while our wedding day was beautiful it poured late in the afternoon when we would have gone to get them. And for me, the only reason I got married was for cake. 

People swear by how good Ina's Beatty cake is (and how good I am) - so let's try it out, shall we. 

Cake Ingredients

1¾ cups all-purpose flour 

2 cups sugar 

¾ cups good cocoa powder, such as Valrhona 

2 teaspoons baking soda 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 cup buttermilk, shaken 

½ cup vegetable oil 

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee 

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows) 

Procedure 

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans (for cupcakes, see note). Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans. 

Step 2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. 

Step 3. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ones. 

Step 4. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 

Step 5. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. 

Note: For cupcakes, reduce bake time to 25-30 minutes. 

Step 6. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. (Not to worry; the top will sink a little in the center.) 

Turns out we have two 9" rounds, but only one 8" round. There were notes saying not to use 9", as the layers become too thin. I really wanted to follow this to the letter. So I had to bake one at a time. What a time suck. 

This would ultimately be a downfall for me. I should have done 9" at the same time. I'm not good at eyeballing equal amounts of batter 45 minutes apart. The second one would have more, it would cook over the edges and into the oven itself. ...the second layer ultimately breaking cracking in two. 

.....but honestly, you make it the lower layer and add enough icing and who the fuck is gonna know???

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (frosts one cake, or 12 cupcakes) 

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate, such as Valrhona (see note) 

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 

1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1¼ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar 

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules, such as Nescafe 

Procedure

Step 7. Chop the chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl over a pan over simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature. 

This worked well. I have tried a double boiler in the past with bad results. I was ok with this. 

Step 8. Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 

Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. 

Step 9. Dissolve the coffee in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don’t whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake. 

Step 10. Place one layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread a thin layer of buttercream on the top only. Place the second layer on top, flat side up, and spread the frosting evenly first on the sides and then on the top of the cake. Cut in wedges and serve at room temperature.

If you go by Ina's recipe she has this all in two steps: the cake and frosting. It's all accurate, but seemingly easier sounding her way. I am more realistic on what a 'step' is. 

Blobby is winning no cake decorating contests any time soon ever. It looks homemade, because it is homemade. 

Note: I use Valrhona Le Noir 56% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate. You can use also use a good bittersweet chocolate but don’t use chocolate chips because they have stabilizers in them.

Ina is def fancier than I. And my store doesn't carry Valrhona in bar or powder form. So, I'm already off to a deficit. And my buttermilk was low fat. The price you get for shopping on a Sunday. 

710 cut the cake, right at a crack / patch place. So the slice above isn't the best shot. Still, it's about taste - and for that, we were on point. 

The coffee in the cake and the icing came through. I know Ina says it just enhances the chocolate, and it does, but it's not like that coffee flavouring just goes away. While I don't drink coffee, I'm fine with the flavouring. 710 loved it. 

The cake was light and moist, it was good cake to icing ratio. Taste was an A. Look I'll give it a B-. 

While in the last few years I have done more baking, but this was probably the most intricate. It worked and it didn't.  I just needed to pay more attention to my surroundings and my gear.