Well, that bake sale is today -- and I just dropped off my contribution, these oatmeal fudge bars. I have made these before, but this time I did them differently. The aptly named company Divine Chocolates contributed to the bake sale by sending a few of us lucky bloggers some of their amazing chocolate and cocoa to use. Of the myriad selections they so generously sent, I chose to employ the 70% and 85% bittersweet chocolates in these bars. In the past I've used semisweet chocolate chips, and they were good -- but the fine quality of this chocolate and the darker, richer varieties took an already decadent bar and tossed it right over the top. But, as my friend and colleague Karen Tack says, More is more!

If you happen to be in beautiful Brooklyn today and can stop by the Flea, go get yourself some treats. I perused the table and there are many, many irresistible baked goods. One woman snatched a package of my bars right out of my hand, and added it to her stack of 5 or so other selections -- and that was at 9:30 this morning. Better hurry! :)

Or, make up a batch of these yourself, for your next bake sale or just for a treat. Use Divine chocolate if you can.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal-Dark Chocolate Fudge Bars
Makes 24

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 cups quick-cooking oats (do not use instant)
16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
10 oz. 70% dark chocolate, chopped
2 oz. 85% bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil; mist lightly with cooking spray.

2. Make crust: In a large bowl, toss together flour, baking soda, salt, brown sugar and oats. Stir in butter. Remove 2 1/2 cups of oat mixture and press evenly into bottom of pan. Reserve remaining topping.

3. Make filling: Combine condensed milk, both chocolates and salt in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over crust; spread evenly. Crumble reserved oat mixture over filling.

4. Bake bars for 30 to 35 minutes, until just set and lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (I left it in the fridge overnight and it was really easy to cut the next morning). To cut, use foil overhang to remove bars from baking pan. Place on a cutting board, remove foil and cut into bars.

Hello friends! My apologies for the long hiatus. But I have a good excuse! Really! See, you know how I've been the food director at All You magazine for 6+ years? Well, I still am -- but now I've also taken on the same position at Health magazine. Who says you can't be in two places at once? It's a thrilling opportunity -- I'm learning a ton, being challenged in such a cool way, and having a great time. 

But... as you can imagine, the ramp-up period has been quite busy, and other things (such as my CookiePie blog) have fallen by the wayside. Alas. Things seem to be leveling off now, so I hope to be back with more for you lovely people much more frequently.

Anyway -- it now seems like ages ago, but for Passover we hosted a sort of mini Seder at our place, which was really fun. Here's a multigenerational shot of yours truly with little D (chowing on matzoh), and my sweet mom in the background:

So as you probably know, Passover means no flour, and nothing leavened, which makes dessert a challenge. I'm not a fan of the matzoh meal-potato starch sponge cakes that people often make (as delicious as "potato starch sponge cake" sounds -- ick). Usually I make macaroons (the coconut kind, not the fancy French ones -- like these, these and these), but this year I wanted to try something different. 

Trolling around online, I found this pretty and appealing-sounding recipe on Smitten Kitchen. It was great fun to make, and we and all of our seder guests really enjoyed it. My one issue was that it was really, really sweet, just a bit too much so. (And if you know me, you know that is saying a lot, because almost nothing is too sweet for me!) I think if I was going to make this again, I might add more salt. And though I already used bittersweet chocolate, instead of the semisweet the recipe called for, next time I might go even darker with the chocolate.

Having said all of that, this is a beautiful and luscious dessert -- and it's gluten-free, if that's a concern. Try it!

Enjoy!

Almond Macaroon Torte

Slightly adapted from this recipe on Smitten Kitchen 

Serves: 12

Macaroon layers:

2 1/2 cups (10.5 oz) slivered almonds (I used sliced)

1 cup plus 3 Tbsp. sugar

2 large pinches kosher salt (next time I would use 1/2 tsp., maybe 3/4)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

6 large egg whites

Frosting and assembly:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

20 oz. semisweet chocolate (I used 72% bittersweet -- would go even darker next time), chopped

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1. Make macaroon layers: Position racks in top and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 325ºF. On a sheet of parchment, draw 2 12-by-4-inch rectangles, then turn the parchment over onto a large, rimmed baking sheet so the rectangles are visible but your layers won't touch the ink or lead. Repeat with another sheet of parchment and baking sheet.

2. Place almonds, 1 cup sugar and salt in a food processor and blend until finely ground. In a large, clean, dry bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add remaining 3 Tbsp. sugar and vanilla and beat until mixture is stiff but not dry. Fold almond mixture into egg white mixture. Spread one-fourth of batter over each ractangle, spreading evenly with a small offset spatula. 

3. Bake layers until golden and almost firm to the touch, 25 to 35 minutes, quickly switching pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Let cool on baking sheets on wire racks.

4. Make frosting: Simmer sugar and 1/2 cup water in a pan, stirring just until sugar dissolves. Measure 10 Tbsp. of this mixture into a bowl and discard the rest. Pour the 10 Tbsp. syrup back into the saucepan and add vanilla. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and let stand for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. The frosting should be thick and a good spreadable consistency. 

5. Lay a few strips of parchment on a serving platter and place one macaroon layer on top, so that the strips of parchment just sit under the outsides of the cake (these will protect your platter from stray frosting; you'll remove them when you've finished the cake). Spread 1/2 cup of frosting over the cake. Repeat until all the layers are used up, taking care that when putting the top cake layer on, you have it flat side up. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake and press the toasted almonds onto the sides. 

NOTE: You can make this 1 to 2 days ahead; keep covered with a foil tent at room temperature. If you refrigerate the cake, the frosting will firm up a lot and the whole thing becomes more like candy than a cake. Not a bad thing, but just a heads up. (In the photo above, the cake was refrigerated -- before that, the frosting was softer.)

I try so hard to eat healthy and cook healthy. Really, I do. But sometimes you just need some sweet-tart lemon scones made with an overabundance of heavy cream. What can I say? They do have dried blueberries in them, which are full of antioxidants. See? That's healthy!

Enjoy!

Lemon-blueberry cream scones

Slightly adapted from this recipe in Bon Appetit

Makes: 12

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup dried blueberries

1 1/4 cups whipping cream

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a large baking sheet with Silpat or parchment. Place 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl and add 1 Tbsp. zest. Rub with your fingers until well combined. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. Toss in blueberries. Stir in cream just until a dough forms. Knead gently just until dough holds together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a 10-inch diameter, 1/2-inch-thick circle. Cut into 12 wedges.

2. Transfer wedges to baking sheet, spacing evenly. Combine remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. zest; rub together with your fingertips. Brush scones with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar-zest mixture (you may not use all of it). Bake scones until light golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

So, no doubt you know by now that we are a pumpkin-all-year-round household. That fact, combined with the challenge of getting enough vegetables into a 3.5-year-old, means we use it as creatively and frequently as possible. I make a pumpkin quick bread that little d loves (a recipe for another day) -- and recently, I whipped up some pumpkin pancakes while my little munchkin enjoyed her weekend morning ritual (Angelina Ballerina on the couch + cup of dry Cheerios). I tossed in plenty of healthful ingredients -- but little d declared them "yummy!" and proceeded to devour 4 of them before her gym class.

Try them! Whether you're dealing with a picky eater or just looking for something easy and delicious for a weekend morning, you'll love these.

Also -- they freeze beautifully, on the off chance you have some leftovers.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Makes about 16

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup oat bran

2 Tbsp. ground flax, optional

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup milk

1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used full fat)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup (preferably grade B)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Butter, oil or cooking spray

1. Preheat a griddle to medium-low heat and preheat oven to 200ºF.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, oat bran, flax (if using), baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin, milk, yogurt, egg, maple syrup and vanilla. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined (leave some lumps in there).

3. Lightly brush griddle with melted butter or oil, or mist with cooking spray. Drop batter by 3-Tbsp.-fuls onto griddle and cook until edges look dry and undersides are golden brown (gently lift with a spatula to check), 2 to 3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook on other side until golden brown and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer pancakes to a plate and place plate in oven to keep warm while you cook remaining pancakes.

4. Serve warm, passing additional syrup (or apple butter!) on the side.

Ice cream, in December? DUH! Honestly, if this seems odd to you, I'm not sure if we can be friends.

Just kidding! (Sort of.)

Anyway, one of the easiest ways to elevate a beautiful holiday pie, tart or cake is with homemade ice cream. Ridiculously easy to make, yet sooo impressive.

We served this luscious ice cream with the apple tart pictured (recipe for another post), and a pumpkin tart, at Thanksgiving. How good was it? Here's little d's review:

The only thing I might do next time is spike it with a little bourbon, perhaps a couple of tablespoons. But really, it was silky, creamy, maple-y and delicious just like this.

Enjoy!

Maple-Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

(Recipe adapted from this one in Gourmet)

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

1 cup maple syrup, preferably grade B (see note)

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1 vanilla bean, split, seeds removed, bean reserved

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1. Boil maple syrup in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 3/4 cup, 5 to 10 minutes. (Watch it carefully.) Reduce heat to medium, stir in cream, milk, salt and vanilla seeds and bean. Bring just to a boil. 

2. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Whisking vigorously and constantly, slowly drizzle in hot cream mixture. Transfer back to saucepan, quickly clip candy thermometer to side of pan (no touching the bottom), reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and registers 170ºF on the candy thermometer, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let it boil.

3. Pour mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl. Let cool for a few minutes, then cover with plastic wrap, taking care that plastic touches surface of custard. Refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours.

4. Freeze custard in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze.

NOTES:

* Grade B maple syrup isn't inferior to grade A. The grades have to do with how dark the syrup is; the darker the syrup, the stronger the flavor. Grade B is dark and very flavorful, and will impart the most maple flavor to the ice cream.

* The cream mixture will be extremely hot when you temper the eggs, and even dribbling it into the eggs slowly, you may wind up with a little curdling. Strain it, then give it a whirl in the blender. All will be forgiven.

If you manage to save room for dessert after the glorious Thanksgiving meal, here's one that will satisfy the desire for pumpkin pie and the craving for chocolate. Plus, it looks beautiful! Serve it with freshly whipped cream.

Pumpkin Tart with Dark Chocolate Crust
Serves 10 - 12

Crust:
1 9–oz. package chocolate wafer cookies
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder
1/4 tsp. salt
7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1 15-oz. can pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with foil. Make crust: In a food processor, blend chocolate wafers, chocolate chips, sugar, espresso powder and salt until finely ground. Add melted butter; process until all crumbs are moistened. Set aside 3/4 cup crumb mixture (transfer to a ziplock bag and freeze for another use). Press remaining crumb mixture into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze crust.

2. Make filling: In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, cream, egg, yolks, both sugars and spices; whisk well. Pour the filling into the chilled crust and spread evenly. Place the tart pan on the lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F, and continue baking until the filling is just set around the edges (the center may seem slightly uncooked), about 45 to 50 minutes.

3. Remove the tart pan to a wire rack to cool to room temperature, then wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 3 hours. Slice and serve.

These were especially easy for me... since Mark made them :) But he gave me his blessing to post them for you here. And in my defense, I have made many a souffle in my time, so bear with me.

I have no idea how I got so lucky with Mark -- and that's true on a number of levels, but one of my favorites is that he's a spectacular cook. One Sunday morning recently he woke up just feeling like whipping up some cheese souffles. (I know, right??) Who was I to say no? In fact, not only did I not say no, I said yes, to 3 of these wondrous dishes. Count 'em -- 3. Ahem.

Anyway -- that's just a testament to how delicious they are. We had them for breakfast, but you can serve them for dinner with a big salad. You can also make one big one to present at the table. Whatever suits your fancy. Just be sure to use the best cheese possible, since it really takes center stage.

Enjoy!

Cheese Souffles

Makes 6

(I'm going to post this recipe from Sunset because it's the closest to what Mark did -- but he didn't really follow a recipe. He has the amazing ability to just throw things together and have them come out beautifully. I call him "pathologically competent." I mean it in a loving way, really.)

1/4 cup unsalted butter (plus more for buttering ramekins)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups milk

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1/4 tsp. salt

Black pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheese (Cheddar or Gruyere -- I think Mark threw in some Parmesan as well)

6 large eggs, separated

1. Generously butter 6  1 1/4-cup ramekins and set them on a large, rimmed baking sheet.

2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth and bubbling. Add milk, cayenne, salt and pepper and cook, whisking, until sauce boils and thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted, then whisk in yolks. Transfer to a large bowl.

3. Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a clean, dry bowl using clean, dry beaters, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a flexible spatula, fold one-third of whites into cheese sauce. Fold in remaining whites until just blended. Spoon mixture into ramekins.

4. Bake until tops are golden and cracks look fairly dry, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Quick! Before summer officially ends, the temperatures really drop and we begin the onslaught of apple and pumpkin recipes, I just want to squeeze in one last tiny bit of summer!

I made this delicious sherbet the other day to accompany a flourless chocolate cake, the very favorite dessert of one of my very favorite friends who was celebrating a birthday. Though she loves that cake, I have made it for her before -- and hey, she is a bigwig at a giant national food magazine, so I needed to give it that extra something-something, right?

I loved the idea of tangy buttermilk melding with tart raspberries, and the whole thing kind of half-melting over slices of impossibly rich cake. The recipe did not disappoint! It was mouth-puckeringly delicious, and a lovely shade of pink, too. If you're like me and just wanting one more batch of summer, get out that ice cream maker today, before the last of the berries disappears until next summer.

Enjoy!

Raspberry-Buttermilk Sherbet

(I used this recipe from Southern Living, with slight tweaking)

Makes about 4 cups

2 cups fresh raspberries

1 cup sugar

2 cups buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

About 1/4 cup port, optional**

1. Process raspberries in a food processor or blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Press raspberry puree through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl; discard solids. Add sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, salt and port and stir until well blended.

2. Pour raspberry mixture into freezer container of a 4-quart ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

**I didn't really measure the port, I just added a few glugs. If you want to add the port (and I highly recommend it), start with 1 Tbsp. and keep stirring, tasting and adding until you get the flavor you want.

I always say that I won the in-law lottery, because I truly love Mark's mom and dad. But lately I've been feeling even more blessed, because I've also fallen in love with several of their friends. This week we had the pleasure of entertaining a couple, Bill and Linda, who are good friends of my in-laws, and now I feel like I can say they're our friends, too. 

After a delicious fish dinner, lots of wine and a ton of laughs (not to mention a naked bedtime parade by the mush), I served up this crumble for dessert. I developed this recipe for All You last year, and it's become a favorite in our house. I managed to forget the ice cream, but we all devoured the sweet-tart-crunchy-buttery goodness anyway. 

Make this one quick, before the summer comes to a close...

Enjoy!

Peach-Berry Crumble

Serves 8

(recipe by me, for All You magazine)

Topping:

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Filling:

1 1/2 lb. firm, ripe peaches (4 or 5)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil. Make topping: In a bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Stir in butter until well mixed. Toss in almonds. (Can be made up to 2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. You may need to break it up with a fork just before using.)

2. Make filling: Peel peaches (you can blanch them and then peel off the skins, but I just use a serrated peeler, much easier). Cut peaches in half, remove pits and slice fruit into wedges. Toss in a bowl with sugar, flour and salt. Fold in berries. Let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer filling to pie plate and scatter topping on top. Place pie dish on baking sheet.

3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until filling bubbles and topping is golden. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream (if you remember it!).

Crepes! Easy to make, look impressive, a few simple ingredients, can be made in advance. Does it get any better than that? Oh yeah: And they're flexible, too -- whether you're craving savory or sweet, crepes do the job. 

You don't even need a special crepe pan -- any small nonstick skillet will work. Whip these up the next time you want something special for brunch or dessert.

Note -- as with waffles and sometimes pancakes, the first one is often a wreck. Don't sweat it -- just keep cooking. The next one will be better, I promise!

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Crepes

Makes about 16

(Adapted from this recipe by Alton Brown)

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 cup whole-wheat flour

3 Tbsp. melted butter (plus more for brushing on pan)

1/4 tsp. salt

1. In a blender, combine all ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds, or until blended. If you have time, refrigerate the batter for an hour. If not, don't worry about it.

2. Warm a small crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Brush lightly with melted butter. Fill a 1/4 cup dry measure about 3/4 with batter. Pour it into the center of the pan, and use the other hand to quickly swirl the pan around to spread the batter evenly. Cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the sides begin to dry. Using your fingers or one of these, gently flip the crepe and cook the other side for about 15 seconds. Transfer the crepe to a plate and cover it immediately with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining batter until it's used up, stacking the crepes on top of each other and covering them with the kitchen towel.

Note: You can use the crepes right away, or transfer them to a ziplock bag, seal and refrigerate for up to 3 days.