Chocolate Chip Cookies

Greetings from the worst blogger ever!

It's been one month and one day since my last post and I've baked at least a dozen things since then. Which means my only excuse for my absence is... my laziness!! Gahhh!!! I need to do something about this. Has anyone got any pointers on how I can discipline my butt to get off out of the kitchen once in a while and onto my dang computer chair? Seriously. Please leave suggestions in the comments section, my faithful readers which only consist of my sister and husband! Hahaha!

Now back to business as usual...

When it comes to chocolate chip cookies things get a little messy. It may just be the easiest cookie to bake up in a jiffy but for some reason it has stirred up quite the controversy over its delectable goodness of qualities. For instance, most people I know love the soft, chewy variety. I, on the other hand, love the crunchy, crispy bite that a toasty cookie with perfectly browned edges offers. I think that was somewhat of my mom's influence because when we were little she would always purchase the bags of miniature chocolate chip cookies by Mother's (remember those??) and take the already crunchy cookie and pop them in the toaster oven to bake some more! I always thought it was a quirky, sometimes annoying habit she had (maybe because half the time she forgot to take them out of the oven in time and they got extra crispy in a cancer-provoking kind of way!) but now I realize that some of that rubbed off on me! Forever, because of my weird mother and her weird Mother's obsession, my sister and I will crave crispy, crunchy, hard chocolate chip cookies.

I could eat a whole bag of those dang things in one sitting. Anytime. Do you dare me??

But do you know what I love even more than a chocolate chip cookie? An oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. *drool*... I've made a couple batches in the past month but they seriously never survive past a couple of days. They're that addictive. Half of my most recent batch went to my mentoree at church, D., because I love her so <3 and this is the only picture I have of them, all packaged up behind that little pastry window. The other half,...well... let's just say not a crumb was wasted. >: )

I will make some more soon and hopefully tame my greedy little cookie monster self and take some pictures of them before they're devoured. But, for now I shall leave you with my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. This one is a crowd pleaser with crispy edges and a chewy center. I like to bake them pretty big so they require an entire hand to hold them up to my mouth. It's just more fun that way : )

Oh, and here's a cute way to package them.

Aren't they cute?? I got the idea from Intimate Weddings. They show you how to put together this adorable little party favor using homemade chocolate chip cookies, paper CD sleeves, and sticker paper. Easy Peasy! And so, so cute, too. The ones pictured above were ones I made for our church's Barnyard Bash last year, a Halloween alternative event for kids. You can download the labels for free here.

Hope you enjoy the cookies!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. fresh baking soda
2 tsp. hot water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream the butter and both sugars for about 4 minutes until light yellow and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in vanilla. Dissolve baking powder in hot water and add to batter. Add salt.
3. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and walnuts, if desired. Drop by tbspfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until edges are nicely browned.

Notes: You don't need to have a mixer to make this recipe. But it may make your life easier. And less messy : ) Also, make sure you change out your baking soda often because it often loses potency in about a month's time. Old baking soda can cause your baked goods to turn out flat and deflated. They only cost about 50 cents per small box so stock up on several months' worth so you will always have fresh baking soda on hand! There's nothing worse than pouring your heart and soul into baking only to end up with a disappointing product. Sadly, I speak from experience : (

Worst Blogger Ever!

Oh, man. It's been almost an entire MONTH since I last blogged! Auuugghhhh!! : (

I now have a new respect for bloggers, especially baking bloggers. I originally started this because baking, as I mentioned in my introductory post, relaxes me. It makes me feel like I have a better handle on things when life begins to feel a little out of control. But, since I started this blog, I feel like I have been placing undue pressure on myself to bake more often for the sake of this blog rather than for my peace and enjoyment as I did before.

Thus began my downward spiral of baking in a subconsciously stressed state, which in turn led to not baking at all, which ultimately ended with a very scattered, nervous wreck Audrey with no outlet through which to relieve my stress. Again, I say, Auuugghhh!! : (

But during my baking hiatus I re-discovered my love for the art of baking itself, to create beautiful and edible things for the people I love. I was thiiissscloosee to closing up my blog in fear that it would hinder my baking experiences. My excuse became: it's too hard. But my inner Barney Stinson rose to the occasion, all suited up and everything, and declared, "Challenge accepted!"

So, I will duke it out until December 31st of this year. If I have no more than 20 blog posts by the time this year is up, I will persist with blogging. However, if I have any less than 20, A Time to Bake will be gone with the wind (I just watched the movie on tv a couple nights ago and all I can say is Scarlett has personality disorder written all over her!).

I did a considerable amount of baking over Valentine's Day weekend.

For my senior pastor's birthday I baked him a three-layered yellow cake with whipped cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberries. It has that Korean bakery taste to it and is perfect for those who don't like their desserts too sweet. I brought it to church and we lit it with tons of candles before we presented it to him in the foyer with the entire surrounding congregation singing him "Happy Birthday." T'was a cute sight, indeed : ) He didn't even end up getting a piece (boo!) but the look on his face as his sheep he so lovingly leads celebrated his birthday with a song was priceless (yay!).

I also wanted to make something small for the church staff so I gave Tartelette's Raspberry Mascarpone Macaron Pops another go. But I wanted to give it a Valentine's Day twist so I shaped them into hearts. Aren't they cute?? Some of them look more like pink blobs than they do hearts but I was pretty pleased with the result nonetheless. This was, to date, my most successful attempt at making macarons. Hooray!! : D

Here's the template that I used to pipe out the macarons. Just place it under your parchment paper on your baking sheet and pipe within the lines as best as you can. Use a toothpick to beautify the sides if need be. I used my regular ol' 1A tip but I think next time I'll be smarter and use a smaller tip. Hehe! ; )

Next up was my baby room folks. At my church we have rooms where families with babies can go in and watch a live televised viewing of the message whilst taking care of their kids. Hubby and I have been in the room for about 8 months now and it's quickly become like a little community for us. We've met some really cool people and made some lifelong friends in that room. So on the first Sunday of every month I bring in some kind of baked good to share with the families and we sing "Happy Birthday" (with unlit candles, of course) to the birthday boys, girls, moms, and dads : )

For February, I decided to go with a Valentine's Day-themed treat, red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I topped them with red, heart-shaped sprinkles to be festive but you can top them with anything you'd like. Or, you can keep it simple and leave the toppings off. Baker's choice : )

I have to be honest- I know people go gaga over anything red velvet these days but I am sooooo over it! I'm just plain tired of looking at them, making them, reading about them, and eating them. Red velvet... bleehhhhh!!! But what can I say? It's a popular flavor and birthdays are all about bringing people happiness, so why not? : )

I decided to share them with my mentoree D and her boyfriend S as well. I packaged them in a 4-pack plastic cupcake carrier and printed this 1 Corinthians 13 subway art from Betty Crocker Wannabe onto sticker paper. I finished it off with a strip of pink and red fabric ribbon. Sorry I don't have pictures : ( You can download the printable for free here.

Since Hubby had to work on Valentine's Day (boo!) we did our thing on Monday. Best date of my life! Whoo hoo! Go hubby! ; )

But I didn't want to sit at home all alone on VDay so I invited my sister and a few girls over from church and we had a pretty & comfy-themed Valentine's Day potluck where we all brought our favorite comfort foods. Fun times! I made my favorite Cajun pasta dish along with these individual strawberry tiramisus. These are a great variation of the traditional tiramisu. The strawberries add such a nice, refreshing touch to the creamy mascarpone and robust espresso/Kahlua flavors. It's fairly easy, too, so if you want to impress someone with an easy yet fancy treat, strawbery tiramisu is the way to go! I downloaded these party circles for free from Anything But Perfect, a great blog with tons of free printables!

So there's my Valentine's Day weekend in a nutshell. Next time I will do my darnest to get my posts up before the actual holiday comes along : ) Here's to hoping it won't be another month before I see you again!

Recipes

Yellow Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting and Fresh Strawberries

makes 1 8-inch cake, 3 layers

For the cake:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

8 egg yolks

3/4 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups cake flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

For the frosting:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 cups heavy cream

Filling:

1 pint fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 3 8-inch round baking pans. Place parchment circles in bottoms of pans. Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2, With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, with three additions of flour and two additions of milk. Mix just until incorporated. Pour cake batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely in pans, at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the frosting.

4. Combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract in electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth. With the mixture still beating, slowly pour in the heavy cream in an even stream. Continue beating until frosting can hold a stiff peak, stopping mixer and scraping sides of the bowl as needed. Recipe makes about 5 cups.

5. To assemble, remove one layer of cooled cake and place it on a cake board. spread with an even layer of frosting and top with an even layer of sliced strawberries. Carefully spread with another thin layer of frosting. Place second layer of cake atop first layer and repeat. Top with third layer of cake. Place remaining frosting in a ziploc bag and snip a corner. Pipe an even amount of frosting all around the cake. Using an offset spatula, smooth out the frosting. Top with berries if desired.

Raspberry Mascarpone Macaron Pops

Follow link to Tartelette's recipe

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from Paula Deen

makes about 36 cupcakes

For the Cake:

2 cups white sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

2 oz. red food coloring

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. vinegar

For the Frosting:

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

2. Mix cocoa powder and food coloring together. Add to the butter mixture and mix well. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Blend in vanilla extract. In a small bowl, combine baking soda with vinegar and add to the mixture. Pour batter into prepared cupcake liners. Bake for about 15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Remove from heat and cool completely before frosting, at least 30 minutes.

3. In an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter. Mix in vanilla. Gradually stir in the confectioner's sugar, tasting as you go along. Do not add entire amount of sugar all at once lest it be too sweet for your taste.

Strawberry Tiramisu

makes 2 individual tiramisus

Ingredients:

1 pint fresh strawberries

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cup (8 oz) mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp. Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liqueur

18 ladyfingers

3 shots chilled espresso

1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Reserve two whole berries for garnish. Hull and slice remaining strawberries. Blend 1/2 cup sliced strawberries with 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar. Set aside puree as sauce to go with tiramisu.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine mascarpone, 1/4 cup heavy cream, Kahlua, and 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and mix on medium-high speed until thickened. Pour cream into sandwich bag and snip corner. Set aside.

3. Place 6 ladyfingers on a serving plate. Brush with chilled espresso. Pipe out half of mascarpone mixture onto ladyfingers and top with strawberry slices. Brush 6 more ladyfingers with espresso, front and back, and place atop the strawberries. Pipe out remaining mascarpone mixture and top with remaining strawberry slices. Brush last 6 ladyfingers with remaining espresso and place on top of the second layer.

4. In an electric mixer, beat 1/4 cup heavy cream with 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar on medium-high speed until just whipped. Spread whipped cream over ladyfingers. Dust cocoa powder over whipped cream and garnish with whole strawberries. Drizzle strawberry puree sauce onto two plates. Cut tiramisu in half, place over puree, and serve.

Hope you had a happy Valentine's Day! May Jesus be your First Love every day of the year.

Audrey

Chocolate Florentines

there are some things in life that people will never agree on- politics, religion, morals, the perfect cookie...

some like them soft and chewy, others prefer them to be light and airy. or dense and thick. or robust and full.

but to me, the perfect cookie is crispy, thin, buttery, rich, and is slathered with real, honest-to-goodness CHOCOLATE. none of that fru-fru cocoa powder nonsense.

thus, the chocolate florentine is the perfect cookie. ; )

it was our senior pastor's wife's birthday today so i whipped up a batch of perfect cookies to give to her. i know, i know. i didn't break the bank with this gift or anything. let's just put it this way- there's nothing in the bank for me to break! hahaha! ha...ha........ha : (

*ahem*

so this recipe is super easy. it's in the drop-cookie category, which means that once you make the batter all you have to scoop and drop onto baking sheets. easy peasy! but since this method is not traditional when making cookies i took oodles of pics to help you through your first perfect-cookie-making process! yay! : D

start by grinding your almonds, any kind. since the recipe calls for sliced almonds i decided to measure out the amount i needed for later and then ground up the rest. (i wound up with lots leftover. i guess i'm going to have to make another batch of macarons... geez! *secret, sly grin* or, if you're feeling lazy, you can also pick up a bag of almond meal instead of grinding it yourself. i won't tell. : ) )i suppose you can use your food processer to accomplish this but i find that with small quantities such as this, using a coffee bean grinder is much more efficient and practical.

*note: when the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of almonds, ground they're asking you to measure out 1/2 cup of almonds and then grinding it. on the other hand, if it says to use 1/2 cup ground almonds, like this recipe does, then grind the almonds first and then measure out 1/2 cup of it.*

i prepared the ingredients i would need immediately for the next step: butter, sugar, heavy cream, and all-purpose flour.

melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, like this.

add the sugar and heavy cream once the butter has melted and raise the heat to high. let it come to a boil.

remove it from the heat and mix in the flour, ground almonds, and sliced almonds.

it should be pretty thick but still runny.

let the batter sit for a couple minutes if you want the cookies to hold their shape better by allowing it to thicken a bit. then drop 1 tablespoon of batter onto your baking sheets. technically, you don't need to line it with parchment because the batter is so buttery it should just slip right off but i always like to err on the side of caution lest i ruin a completely good batch of perfect cookies. but that's just me. *shrug*

but make sure you don't crowd them! i wouldn't try to do more than 6 cookies per tray. and it's best to use flat trays that don't have the ledges. if you don't have flat ones you can just flip over a regular ol' baking tray and use the backside. the back of a jelly roll pan works perfectly for these cookies. if you decide to bake more than one tray at a time remember to turn the trays halfway during the baking process! i like to switch the top and bottom trays in addition to turning them from front to back.

after 10-12 minutes (less time for darker trays, more time for lighter trays), remove your almost-perfect cookies from the oven! the edges should be brown and the centers should still be bubbling.

now, the hard part- don't touch them! let them sit for at least five minutes on the sheet so they can cool completely and not fall apart while you're trying to transfer them to a cooling rack or working area. yes, they're perfect, but they're also delicate. as in any relationship, you must woo the florentine and treat them right if you want them to be good to you later!

when the cookies are firm enough to hold their shape when you lift the edge with your finger, carefully lift them up with a spatula onto a working space, the dressing room, if you will, for their hair and makeup. in other words, get them ready for the chocolating! yes, i just made up a word. what are you gonna do about it??

once all your cookies are cooled and ready to go, melt about 5 ounces of semisweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl or pan over a pan of simmering hot water. it's very important that the top bowl/pan does not actually touch the boiling water, as this could result in lumpy, grainy, and generally unworkable chocolate. also be sure that your utensils do not have water on them as this could affect the texture of the chocolate as well. chocolate + water = no thank you!

once all your chocolate is melted and completely smooth, coat the back of each cookie with a layer of chocolate with a pastry brush. stick them in the freezer until the chocolate is completely cooled. while they're chilling, fill a plastic zipper bag with the remaining chocolate. when the cookies have cooled and are ready for their back coating, snip a very small part of one corner of the sandwich bag. drizzle the melted chocolate in lines on the other side of the florentines. pop them in the freezer again. i know, it takes a lot of patience to make these cookies! but love is always worth the wait, am i right?? : )

when you're finished, you will have....

THE

PERFECT

COOKIE.

....okay, now i'm scared that i've hyped this up wayyyy too much and you'll all be after me with pitchforks and very angry expressions in the middle of the night. imagine the "kill the beast" scene. lucky for me only two people in the world know about this blog and they both love florentines! : D

but seriously, make this cookie. it's so worth the time and trouble. i don't think i've ever met anyone who tasted this cookie and didn't love it completely. to me, it's the perfect cookie. your mileage may vary. i can't guarantee you it'll be your favorite but i can promise you that you won't have any trouble getting rid of the leftovers : )

happy baking!

Chocolate Florentines
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
2/3 cup sliced almonds
5 ounces semisweet chocolate

1.preheat oven to 350 degrees F. line light baking sheets with parchment paper. in a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add sugar and cream. Turn heat to high. Let mixture boil. Remove from heat. Add the flour, ground almonds, and sliced almonds.

2. drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto flat, lined baking sheets, leaving ample space between the cookies. bake no more than six cookies at one time. spread each cookie into a 2-inch round circle with the back of a spoon. bake one pan at a time for 10-12 minutes, until edges are light brown and crispy and centers are still bubbly.

3. cool cookies on pan for five minutes. test firmness of cookies by lifting up one corner. if it is firm enough to hold its shape, transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet using a spatula.

4. in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt semisweet chocolate. when chocolate is melted and smooth brush the backs of the cooled cookies with chocolate using a pastry brush. place pan in freezer to cool.

5. once chocolate on cookies has cooled completely, remove pan drom freezer. flip cookies over. fill sandwich zipper bag with remaining melted chocolate. snip corner end of bag and drizzle cookies with chocolate. place pan in freezer once again to cool.

6. try not to eat all of them in one sitting or your jeans may not be appreciate you tomorrow. however, if you share with friends, they will appreciate you more tomorrow. and the day after that. and the day after that. enjoy! : )

Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

i don't know if it's the Korean in me or if i'm just a brown-noser by nature but i have always been the girl who gifts her teachers, pastors, bosses, doctors, etc. on special occasions. many an eye has been rolled at me because of this but, if you ask me, not only is it nice to show some love to those you depend on, it's also smart! ; )

for Christmas i delivered a box of homemade goodies to my little one's pediatrician and the whole office seemed very thankful that i even thought of them. they were especially grateful for one goodie in particular- the cookies & cream cheesecake cupcakes! *drool* so i whipped up another batch and brought them in when we went in to get our little one's flu shot : ( but seriously, who doesn't love a good Oreo? i've found that most of the time, people will go gaga over anything Oreo. just take any basic dessert and throw in some crushed Oreo pieces. which is what these mini cheesecakes are all about! completely decadent and so very easy. my kinda dessert.

i used Martha's recipe from her wonderful, wonderful book, Cupcakes.

The very first thing that i ever do when i bake is my mise en place, which is just a fancy way to say "gather and prepare all of the ingredients and tools you will need to successfully complete this recipe" in French. ; ) it may sound unnecessary to some but, trust me, it is esssential to be prepared because some recipes are very delicate and need to be taken care of ahead of time. So, in short, respect your ingredients! Also, please always read the entire recipe through before attempting to create anything in your kitchen. one rule about baking that does not apply to cooking: you cannot wing it. so wash and dry all of your measuring cups and spoons, sift your dry ingredients, melt and cool your chocolate, etc. before you get your apron dirty. okay, mini lecture over. : )

to prepare these little bites of heaven, first preheat your oven to a pretty low temp., 275 degrees F. It's best to preheat your oven at least 20-30 minutes before you begin baking.

then line your cupcake tin with your cupcake liner of choice. i used classic white ones because i wanted my Oreos to show when the cupcakes are flipped over like Martha's do. hehe! : ) then drop one whole Oreo cookie into each liner. that will serve as your crust.

with your electric mixer beat the cream cheese until it's smooth. then add the sugar and vanilla. when it's all silky and you're tempted to dip your finger in and sneak a taste, add the beaten eggs (one of the steps you already took care of as part of your mise en place...right??), sour cream, and salt.

Then, the fun part. You get to mix in the chopped Oreos by hand (no, this does not mean you stick your entire fist into the batter and toss around the cookie pieces! you just want an excuse to lick your hand, don't you? i'm on to you!! >:D ). then pour the lovely batter into the prepared pans.

a classic trick when pouring batter into cupcake liners so it doesn't spill out everywhere: pour the batter into a gallon-sized plastic bag with zippers. zip it closed and snip a corner of the bag, using the opening as a spout. fill each cupcake tin to the top and bake. done and done!

normally i make a whipped cream topping and pipe it on top after the cheesecakes have chilled for a few hours and then sprinkle some leftover Oreos on top. it does wonders for the presentation, as if it just stepped out of a bakery. but alas, i ran out of time and wasn't able to do that this time. boo. but my pediatrician and friends didn't seem to mind. neither did my girlfriends, with whom i shared my leftovers.

i think these would look really cute if they were made with the seasonal Oreos that pop out in the stores once in a while. yellow filling for spring, orange for Halloween, red for Christmas, etc. don't be surprised if you see a post about yellow cookies and cream cheesecake cupcakes in a month or two! : )

the recipe is listed below. make it! share it! and keep a few for yourself because you'll be crying for more if you only get to have one! yes, they are that good! enjoy! : )


Martha Stewart's Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes
Makes 30

Ingredients:
42 cream-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt


1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.