Kahlua Fudge Brownies

Kahlua Fudge Brownies

Adapted from Cooking Light

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INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 2 tablespoons Kahlúa (coffee-flavored liqueur)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg white
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Glaze:
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Kahlúa (coffee-flavored liqueur)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare brownies, coat bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pan); set aside.
3. Combine 1.5 ounces chocolate and 4 1/2 tablespoons butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until chocolate almost melts. Stir until completely melted.
4. Stir in 1 cup sugar and next 6 ingredients (1 cup sugar through egg).
5. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
6. Add chocolate mixture; stir just until moist. Spread into prepared pan.
7. Bake at 350° for 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
8. To prepare glaze, combine 2 tablespoons sugar, water, nectar, and 2 teaspoons butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 40 seconds or until sugar dissolves, stirring once. Add 1 ounce chocolate and 1 teaspoon liqueur, stirring until chocolate melts.
9. Spread over brownies; cool 20 minutes or until glaze is set.

Triple Ginger Cookies

Triple Ginger Cookies

Recipe courtesy of Baking Obsession

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups (9 oz) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp salt
• 8 tbsp (1 stick; ¼-lb) unsalted butter, melted and just warm
• ¼ cup unsulfured mild or full-flavored molasses (I used organic blackstrap)
• ½ cup sugar
• 1/3 cup (2.3 oz) firmly packed brown sugar or light muscovado sugar
• 2 tbsp finely minced or grated fresh ginger root
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup (4 oz) finely chopped crystallized ginger (1/4-inch dice)
• About ½ cup Demerara or turbinado sugar for rolling

DIRECTIONS

1. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. Combine the warm butter, molasses, both sugars, fresh ginger, and the egg in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture and chopped candied ginger and stir until incorporated. The dough will be soft.
4. Form the dough into 1-inch balls (1/2 oz of dough for each). Roll the balls in the Demerara sugar and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake, in batches (form the rest of the balls while the first batch is baking ), for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they puff up and crack on the surface and then begin to deflate in the oven. For chewier cookies, remove them from the oven when at least half or more of the cookies have begun to deflate; for crunchier edges with chewy centers, bake a minute or so longer.
5. Slide the parchment sheets of cookies onto cooling racks or use an offset spatula to transfer the cookies, and cool completely. Stored in an airtight container, gingersnaps keep for several days.
   
   The baking method is slightly adapted from Alice Medrich’s.

DB Caramel Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

Caramel Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

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After burning my initial batch of caramel and setting the stovetop on fire, I finally nailed the caramel recipe! My advice is to use about a medium saucepan, so that there is a thinner layer of sugar water and more space between the top of the pan and the mixture. That way, the caramel forms more quickly and is less likely to boil over when you add the last cup of water.

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This cake came at a perfect time, as I needed to make a cake for a birthday. I made a simple ganache by melting a handful or two of semisweet chocolate chips with some soy milk and let the cooled chocolate ooze over the edges of the cake. That way I did not have to worry about my frosting job being quite so pretty! I also added some toasted sliced almonds for contrast and to give the cake more of a candy bar theme.

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Changes: Rather than using cream in the frosting, I used plain, unsweetened soy milk. I also used soy milk in the cake and used egg replacement rather than the 2 eggs required.

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Overall, the cake was good, but I am not a big fan of caramel or very sweet desserts, so I felt that the slightly bitter chocolate helped to balance it. I did enjoy the fat-free caramel syrup and will use it in the future when caramel sauce is required for a healthier version.