Crazy Ingredient Challenge December: Cookie Dough Bites

 

This month we are combining GARLIC and WHITE CHOCOLATE!

I think I have finally become comfortable with this cooking challenge. I think it's because gingerbread spice and onions threw me for such a loop last month that I immediately guessed that garlic would be at play this month (I thought garlic and peppermint - white chocolate is infinitely better!) I had decided last month to stick to something that didn't seem too strange and most persons would definitely want to try. This month, however, I threw caution to the wind. I was going dessert and daring everyone to jump on this dessert train with me.

In fact, minutes after the announcement, I had gone to the kitchen, rolled some cookie dough in garlic powder, baked it and surprisingly - LOVED it. It's like adding salt to desserts. It gives the dessert this extra edge. It's not so much that it becomes unpalatable but it is enough to really heighten the taste. Garlic powder is not as assertive as raw garlic so that definitely helps a lot.

I definitely preferred the baked cookies to the unbaked dough. But I really wanted to play with my candy mold. So today I present some garlic chocolate chip cookie dough that's dipped in white chocolate. Give it a try - you might be surprised.

 

 

 

 

Garlic (!) Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites                                                                                               Print

Recipe by:   Kelster

Yield: Depends on size

Ingredients ½ cup of oats ½ cup of flour ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ cup softened butter ½  cup brown sugar 1/3  cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon  vanilla 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or standard sized chips chopped 5 ounces of white chocolate (see notes) .

Directions   Process the oats until is all fine uniform crumbs. Combine with flour and garlic powder and set aside.   Cream the butter and sugars along with vanilla until fluffy. Stir in the oat mixture until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips until just combined.   Form cookie dough  into balls or desired shapes then place in freezer for 15 minutes.   Melt chocolate according to package and coat each cookie dough bite. Allow to dry.   Enjoy!

Notes The amount of white chocolate needed will depend on how you choose to enrobe the cookie dough bites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Birthday without Cake is Just a Day: Cinnamon Chocolate Cake

Alternative title: It's my birthday and I'll bake my cake if I want to.

 

Last week I celebrated a birthday and among the well-wishes were several persons saying that they hoped that I didn't make myself a cake. "Too late," was my response. In fact, I'd baked and frozen the layers several days before and frosted and decorated the night before.
 

I started thinking about my birthday cake back in September. I even created a notebook on Springpad dedicated to the planning. But despite that early start, a week before, I still had no idea what I wanted. Chocolate is my default but I didn't want chocolate or if it were to be chocolate, there had to be something "different".

 

Circular or rectangular? French, Swiss or Italian Meringue Buttercream? Three or four layers? To temper or not to temper chocolate? Decisions. Decisions.

 

I ended up with this Cinnamon Chocolate Cake. It's frosted with a raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream and surrounded white chocolate. I absolutely loved the look and couldn't be happier with it.

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon Chocolate Cake                                                  Print

Recipe by:   Kelster  Adapted from: Hershey’s Kitchens

Yield: 1 cake

Ingredients 2 cups sugar 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup  cocoa 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup hot strong coffee

Directions Preeat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round pans.   Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda. cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of electric for 2 minutes.   Stir in hot coffee (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.   Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Notes Hot water may be used instead of coffee. The coffee helps to enhance the chocolate.

 

Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Recipe by: Sweetapolita

Yield: 5 cups

Ingredients See Sweetapolita for ingredients and directions.

Directions

Notes A single batch just frosted this cake. I’d recommend using 1.5 times the recipe if you want thick layers of frosting between each layer. I didn't have fresh raspberries so I reduced frozen berries, mashed them a bit, cooled it and stirred it into my Swiss Meringue

 

 

Chocolate Shards

Recipe by:  Mandy at What the Fruitcake

Ingredients See for What the Fruitcake ingredients and directions.

Directions

Notes You can use candy melts for this if you don't want to temper chocolate.

                                                                                                   

 

 

 

 

I like Big Bundts 2013: Oat & Raisin Spice Cake

I made my first bundt cake in August of 2010 when I borrowed a friend's bundt pan to make a birthday cake for another friend. I was enamored! It seemed too easy! I didn't need to unleash my HORRIFIC decorating skills on a poor, defenseless cake. I wanted to keep her bundt pan forever. She, strangely enough, wanted it back. A few weeks later I bought myself bundts of different sizes. You know, it was not until I wrote that sentence that I realized that I own 3 full size bundts, 4 minis and one that is in between.  I'm no Food Librarian, but I do like my bundts!

 

I think it was in 2011 that I discovered Food Librarian's blog but I even though I had it in mind that I'd make a bundt cake to celebrate with everyone, I plum forgot. But not this year!! Oh no! I almost did though. Shh! But here you have it! Finally, a bundt cake for National Bundt Day! (Look, I am willing to ignore the fact that National Bundt Day was November 15 and today is November 20, if you will. Honestly, I did make the cake for Friday! I swear!)

I added a brown sugar glaze to this and instantly regretted it the moment I poured the first bit out. The glaze is delicious, don't get me wrong. But this cake can stand by itself. It does not need any accompaniments. It's moist and full of flavour and I should have left well enough alone. Ah well. I apologise for my bad glazing skills and present you a glaze-free but delicious recipe.

Enjoy!

Oat & Raisin Spice Bundt                                                   Print

Recipe by:    Kelster

Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients 1 cup quick cooking oats (see notes) 1 ¼ cup of boiling water ¾ cup of raisins 1 ½ cup all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup granulated sugar ¾ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ cup butter, softened 2 eggs ½ cup sour cream

Directions   Place oats in a medium bowl and pour boiling water over the oats. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes. Place the raisins in a small bowl and add just enough water to cover the raisins. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour and bundt pan. Be sure to completely cover the entire surface Whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. In  a large bowl, mix together sugars, vanilla and butter for 4 minutes. The mixture will resemble wet sand. Add eggs one at a time and beating well after each. Add a third of the flour mixture and mix until just combined followed by ¼ cup of sour cream.  Repeat, ending with flour. Stir in oats and drained raisins. Pour into prepared bundt. Bake for 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Notes  I used rolled oats but let it soak for almost an hour. If you use rolled oats, you will have bits of chewy oats in your cake. I certainly did not mind. You can pulse the rolled oats a few times in a food processor or blender to break them down a bit.