chambord brownies

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, I wanted to make my husband a special treat.  We've been obsessed with Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies.  They are the most delicious brownie ever.  They are fudgy, chewy, and easy to make.

We both LOVE creme de menthe brownies, but I wanted to make something a little more Valentiney.  I swapped the creme de menthe for chambord and added a little food coloring to make the filling pink.  I also made a few brownies a silicon hearts pan I've had lying around for years.

These brownies are rich, indulgent, and a perfect treat for my Valentine. . . as long as I don't eat them all first.

Chambord Brownies

Brownie
Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies

1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)
8 ounces plus 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 large eggs
1 1/2 Tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 9x13 pan (I usually make this in a 9x13, but for Valentine's I put a little batter in a heart mold silicon pan).

Melt the butter, 8 ounces of semisweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate in a bowl. I put the bowl in the microwave for 40 seconds, stirred, and continued to heat at 10 second intervals until melted, stirring after each 10 second interval in the microwave. (You can also place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring until melted).

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla extract and sugar.  Stir the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.  In a small bowl, mix the 6 ounces of chocolate chips and 2 Tablespoons of flour so that the chocolate chips are coated in flour.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the flour to the egg and chocolate mixture and mix until just combined.  Gently mix in the chocolate chip and flour mixture until just combined.

Pour batter into greased pan and tap the pan a few times on the counter to release any air.  Bake for 20 minutes, then tap pan again on oven shelf to release air again, then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Do not overbake; an inserted toothpick should come out clean.

Cool pan completely and refrigerate.

Chambord Filling
adapted from my grandmother's recipe for Creme de Menthe Brownies

4 Tablespoons of Chambord liqueur *
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
a drop of red food coloring, optional

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Spread evenly over cooled brownie layer in pan.
* To make traditional Creme de Menthe brownies, use 2 Tablespoons of Creme de Menthe liqueur instead of 4 Tablespoons of Chambord.

Chocolate Topping

6 Tablespoons butter
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

In a small bowl, melt butter and chocolate chips in microwave or over simmering water.  Pour over Chambord covered brownies and spread out to make an even layer.

Store brownies in the refrigerator.  Cut brownies into small squares or use a cookie cutter if you want a shaped brownie.

sprinkle snakes

I really love this time of year.  I love the lights, decorations, music, cheesy movies, you name it.  Unfortunately, this time of year fills my head with these Hallmark perfect ideas.  Take making and decorating these cookies- my favorite cookie of all time.  What I envisioned to be this Norman Rockwell, heartwarming and fun activity turned out more like a toddler hurricane of sprinkles and chocolate.

I was getting the melted chocolate bowl and sprinkle bowls in place.  My son was so excited, and chanting "sprankles, sprankles" (he has a little twang).  Every 5 seconds I would move the sprinkle bowls closer and closer towards me (and further and further from my son).  His little arm would shoot out so fast and grab fist fulls of sprinkles.  Next I watched him try to put the fist full of nonpareils in his mouth, while hearing thousands of the minuscule little balls falling all over the floor.

Next, I tried letting him dip the cookies in the melted chocolate, and then dip the chocolate part in the sprinkles.  He dipped the cookie into the chocolate, then into the sprinkles.  Instead of putting it on the drying rack, he grabs the melted chocolate and sprinkle end and begins smooshing it, spreading chocolate and sprinkles everywhere, while simultaneously grabbing more handfuls of sprinkles to eat.

So, I ended up decorating the cookies, while he pillaged all of sprinkle/chocolate globs that would drip from the drying rack.  He also ate LOTS of cookies, and a few more handfuls of sprinkles.  At the end, we had great looking cookies and a toddler covered in red, green, and chocolate.  Although it was nothing like I had envisioned, we both had a lot of fun.

Growing up we called these cookies "snakes" because my mom always shaped the cookies into an "S" shape.  Even if I only make 1 batch of cookies at Christmas, it's these.  They are perfect!

Sprinkle Snake Cookies
makes: about 6 dozen

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour

For decorations: semi sweet chocolate chips and sprinkles.

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a mixer until smooth.  Add sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract.  Add the flour and mix until all of the flour is incorporated.

To shape:  It is easiest to use a cookie press with star disc and shape cookies into the letter "S", or circles for wreaths (my grandmother always did that), shells, rosettes, or even straight or squiggly lines.  My cookie press is packed away in a box somewhere (we've been trying to move for awhile), so I used a pastry bag with a star tip.  The dough is very stiff, so the disposable bags tear easily unless you only fill it with a little bit of dough at a time.  I still went through 4 disposable bags- but I was not willing to rummage in the garage for the box that has my cookie press.

Press or pipe the cookies directly onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  The dough doesn't spread, so you can fit a lot of cookies on each sheet.  Bake 7-12 minutes until you just begin to see a couple of the tips turn a slight golden brown (do not let the cookies get golden all over- it is supposed to be pale).  Cool completely before decorating.

Decorating:
Chocolate- you can melt the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl over a pot of simmering water or in the microwave using short increments of time.  When I microwave chocolate, I do 30 seconds, stir, 10 seconds, stir, and then 5 second intervals until just melted.

Dip end of cooled cookie into chocolate, and then dip chocolate end into sprinkles.  Place decorated cookie on a cookie rack and allow chocolate to set.

red, white & blue cream scones

Scones never used to be my thing. I'd enjoy them on occasion, but I usually found them dry and lackluster. Why would I make or eat something that left my mouth feeling parched for water? I think being a picky eater has rubbed off on my son. . . if only he was willing to eat vegetables like he eats fruit. . .

One day I was browsing through smittenkitchen.com and found a scone recipe I was willing to try. These had promise that they wouldn't be dust biscuits. I made them, and fell in love. I love them so much that I haven't made a scone from a different base recipe in several years.

What I normally do with this recipe is double it. Not because I could eat a whole batch by myself, but because I can freeze the scones before baking. This way I always have scones on hand for a breakfast (or afternoon) treat, or for drop in company. For potluck breakfasts with friends, I like to bring "sconies," which is this recipe, shaped into smaller scones. I usually end up making these smaller size scones because my 2 year old loves them, and it's easier for him to hold. Now if only I could find some clotted cream in eastern NC. . .

Red, White & Blue Cream Scones

smittenkitchen.com

Makes: 8 large scones, or 16 sconies

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 Tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped

1/3 cup dried blueberries, chopped

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

Place oven rack to the middle level and preheat oven to 425°

In food processor, fitted with metal blade, place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Pulse 6 times.

Remove the cover, and sprinkle butter cubes evenly over dry mixture. Replace cover, and pulse 12 times, with each pulse lasting 1 second. Remove cover and sprinkle the dried cherries, dried blueberries and white chocolate chips evenly over mixture. Replace cover and give the food processor 2 to 3 more pulses.

Pour mixture into a large bowl. With a spatula, stir in the heavy cream until mixture is just moistened, about 30 seconds. Do not over mix or you will have hard scones.

Turn bowl out onto a clean work surface, and make sure to get all the little pieces and excess flour. Give the dough about 5 kneads, while working it into a rough ball (if making sconies, at this point divide the ball in half). Take the dough ball and gently pat down to an 8 inch circle (for sconies, press both balls into 4 inch circles), working so that it has an even top and patting the sides to keep them somewhat structured (you can also press it into an 8 inch cake pan, then flip over to release). Cut circle (or circles) into 8 wedges, using a bench scraper (preferred) or a knife.

Place wedges on a ungreased sheet pan and bake 12-15 minutes (sconies 10-12 minutes), until tops are lightly browned. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

*If freezing: after cutting wedges from dough circles, place wedges on a lined sheet pan and freeze. Once frozen I place wedges in ziplocs or wrap well in plastic wrap. To bake, just extend bake time a couple minutes.