Chocolate Chip Cookies

I can't imagine a more traditional, more iconic, more first-coming-to-your-mind American dessert than chocolate chip cookies.

This was my first attempt to bake them, and I think they turned up quite well - when brought to work the next day, they disappeared uncanninly fast. So...watch out! ;)

(Recipe taken from here)

Serves: makes 39. Preparation: 25 min. Baking: 12 min.

Equipment:

- large bowl,

- mixer,

- spoon,

- baking tray,

- baking paper

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar,

- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar*,

- 226g (1 cup) butter,

- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract,

- 1 egg,

- 2 1/4 cup flour,

- 1 tsp baking soda,

- 1/2 tsp salt,

- 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts,

- 12 oz chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat your oven to 190ºC/375ºF.

* For regular brown sugar to become packed, you have to press it and squeeze it tightly in the cup, in order to eliminate all the air pockets. Then you just turn the cup upside-down in the bowl(!), as if making a sand castle.

Close enough ;)

Add the white sugar, vanilla extract, and the egg, and mix well.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt, and stir. The dough will be thick and stiff, so you might use the help of a mixer.

Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.

Line your tray with baking paper and, using a regular spoon or an ice cream spoon, place rounded pieces of dough on the sheet, leaving about 5 cm/2 inches of space between them.

Bake about 12 min.

The cookies, when baked, will be very soft, so it's best you leave them to cool for a few minutes on the tray, before placing them on a wire rack, to cool completely.

Needless to say, they taste delicious served with a glass of milk ;)

Tiramisu

At long last!...

My first tiramisu.

I had quite of a problem what kind of alcohol to use, because the recipe involved Marsala wine - which I didn't have. I knew you can also use amaretto - which I didn't have - and some of my firends use rum - which I, again, didn't have. (I don't seem to have been much prepared now, do I?) But then I found a note somewhere in the internet that dry Marsala wine can be substituted with regular dry wine with a bit of vodka. There you go! (I know it's far from ideal, but...).

Anyway, here it comes!

(Recipe from Cooking from above. Italian. by Laura Zavan.)

Serves: makes 4-6. Preparation: 42 min. Refrigeration: 2 h.

Equipment:

- rectangular serving dish,

- 2 bowls,

- mixer,

- whist,

- spoon :)

Ingredients:

- 250g mascarpone,

- 20-30 ladyfingers/savoiardi sponge cakes,

- 3 eggs,

- 3 tbsp sugar,

- 4 espresso cups of hot espresso :),

- 3 tbsp dry Marsala wine (or 2 tbsp dry white wine + 1 tbsp vodka),

- 1 tbsp cocoa powder,

- pinch of salt,

- 1 tsp almond extract (optional)

Method:

Prepare the espresso (do not drink it ;)).

In the meantime separate the egg whites and yolks - pour the whites into a small bowl, and the yolks into a bigger one.

Add sugar to the yolks and beat them until smooth.

Add the wine, (vodka, and almont extract) and stir.

Gradually, spoon after spoon, mix in the mascarpone, until smooth and creamy.

Put the mixture in the fridge.

Beat the egg whites until stiff.

Add the beaten egg whites to the mascarpone mixture and carefully stir with a whisk.

Spread two tablespoons of the mixture on the bottom of the dish.

Soak the ladyfingers in the espresso and place them as one layer in the dish.

Cover them with half of the mascarpone mixture. 

Make another sponge cake layer and cover it with the rest of the mascarpone mix.

Put into the fridge for abou 2 h.

Sprinkle with cocoa powder before serving.

And enjoy your dolce vita ;)...

Profiteroles - the lazy way ;)

Who'd have thought that choux pastry is that easy to make! I was so surprised! I really had to control myself not to eat every single profiterole before filling them with cream icing. I must confess: I cheated a bit. But only a bit ;) I used ready made icing for the filling.Oh, and ready made chocolate sauce ;) But the basis - the choux pastry - is self made ;) If you're ambitious enough (and have a bit more time) I recommend the original recipe. 

Serves: makes 98 little profiteroles. Preparation: about 48 min. + cooling the pastry (about 45 min.). Baking: 20 min.

Equipment:

- saucepan,

- mixer,

- piping bag with a round nozzle at least 1cm(almost 1/2 inch) in diameter,

- 2 baking trays,

- 2 sheets of baking paper,

- knife

Ingredients:

- 1 cup water,

- 125g (a bit more than 1/2 cup) butter,

- 1 cup flour,

- 4 eggs,

- ready made icing (for the filling),

- ready made chocolate sauce

Method:

Put the butter into the saucepan, pour in the water, and bring the mixture to the boil, stirring from time to time. 

Add the flour, lower the heat, and stir vigorously until the pastry comes away from the sides of the pan.

Remove from the heat.

Now is the time to let it cool.

Entirely.

Preheat oven to 200ºC/390ºF.

Beat the eggs into the pastry and mix them well (with a mixer), until smooth.

Cover the trays with baking paper.

Fill the piping bag with chouxpastry and pipe circles 2,5cm (ca.1 inch) in diameter onto the trays (or, instead of a piping bag, you can simply use a teaspoon).

Bake for 20-25 min.

In the meantime, prepare the cream icing.

Remove the profiteroles from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.

Cut them in halves, with a knife, and spread the filling on half of them; then cover them with the "empty" halves.

Prepare your chocolate sauce and pour it over the profiteroles.

Enjoy! :)

Orange cupcakes

Just like the author of this recipe, I made my orange cupcakes on a VERY snowy day...to brighten it up a little. The recipe may seem a bit plain - nothing extraordinary in a dozen of cupcakes - but they occured to be absolutely wonderful. The texture is so soft and the smell so captivating... made me immediately think of summer :) Try them yourself!

(Recipy slightly changed).

Serves: makes 12. Preparation: 21 min. Baking: 18 min.

Equipment:

- 2 bowls,

- zest grater,

- electric/hand mixer,

- muffin tin,

- muffin cases (or a bit of butter to grease the tin)

Ingredients:

* cupcakes:

- 113g (1/2 cup) soft unsalted butter,

- 130g (2/3 cup) granulated sugar,

- 3 eggs,

- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract,

- 2-3 tbsp orange juice,

- zest of 1 orange,

- 195g (1 1/2 cup) flour,

- 1/2 tsp baking powder,

- 1/4 tsp salt,

- 60 ml (1/4 cup) buttermilk (or simply milk)

* icing (taken from here)

- 250g cream cheese,

- 5 tbsp powdered sugar,

- food colouring (optional)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF. 

In a bowl, mix together the sugar and orange zest for about 2 min., until moist and fragnant.

Add te butter and mix until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in the vanilla extract and orange juice.

In the other bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, add alternately the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat only until incorporated.

Fill in the muffin cases.

Bake for about 18 min, until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean.

In the meantime, prepare the icing:

In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add just a tiny bit of food colouring, if you want. 

That's it ;)

Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.

Decorate them with the icing, using either an icing bag or simply a knife ;) (to spread the icing on the cupcakes, of course).

Now all you have to do is sit comfortably in your sofa, close your eyes, think of beautiful summer days and enjoy your wonderful orange cupcakes.