Beth Cato's Blog, page 71

Bready or Not: Chewy Honey Snickerdoodles

This is a Bready or Not Original recipe. And it will blow your mind.

As WorldCon in Kansas City neared, I asked on Facebook if people had cookie requests. Several people asked for Snickerdoodles. Problem: My traditional Snickerdoodle recipe only stays optimal for a few days.

Therefore, I needed to create a new Snickerdoodle recipe, one that would travel well and hold up to summer heat. I looked at my other go-to convention cookie recipe for Chewy Honey Maple Cookies. I Snickerdoodlified it.

The end result: a new kind of Snickerdoodle with a sweet kiss of honey, and the durability to travel without falling apart AND the miraculous knack for staying fresh ‘n tasty for over a week.

These cookies were well loved during the con. Several people said they were the best Snickerdoodles they’d ever had.

Here’s the recipe, so that you may replicate their joy.

OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}


Bready or Not: Chewy Honey Snickerdoodles





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A Bready or Not Original: classic Snickerdoodle cookies with a touch of honey! These cookies are excellent to pack for conventions or ship cross-country, as they’ll stay chewy and delicious for over a week and a half. Also note that the dough is great to freeze for weeks, and the wrapped-up dough can also idle in the fridge for several days before being baked. These cookies are convenient at every stage!

For dough:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tb honey
1 large egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup bread flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
For rolling:
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and honey and beat until creamy and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: bread flour, all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Sift together.

Slowly stir together the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and stash in the fridge for several hours or days.

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Use greased stoneware, parchment paper, or silpat mats. Prepare sugar and cinnamon mix, and roll dough balls to coat.

The cookie dough, even straight from the fridge, has a soft Play-Doh-like consistency, so it will spread when it bakes; keep this in mind when you space the cookie dough balls.

Teaspoon-sized cookies need to bake 9 to 12 minutes; Tablespoon-sized take 11 to 13 minutes. Let set on cookie sheets for 10 to 15 minutes before moving to a rack to cool completely.

Cookies will keep in a sealed container, between waxed paper or parchment layers, for over a week and a half. They are excellent for travel or shipping.

OM NOM NOM!

Sunday Quote agrees

“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I’m afraid of. ”

~Joss Whedon

Bready or Not: Cadbury Egg Brownies

Three years ago, I shared my recipe for Cadbury Egg Brownies. Today we revisit that glorious recipe–and double it.

Because it obviously didn’t deliver enough sweetness the first time around, right?

Here’s the thing about these brownies: they taste like Cadbury Eggs, but BETTER. That’s because they aren’t as cloying sweet. The brownie layer balances things out in a magical way.

This is a time-consuming recipe because of the layers and the refrigeration time involved, but it’s not hard. The first stage is the only one that requires baking.

I will forever be amazed at how the cream filling layer turns out, too. It’s eerily like the non-runny portion of the Cadbury Egg filling. But you make it yourself. It boggles the mind.

Even better, these brownies will keep as long as a week if sealed and kept in the fridge. Trust me, there is NOTHING healthy about these. You want to make these to share with a crowd!

I’ve modified this a good bit, but I must give credit to the original recipe from Love and Oil. They shared something amazing.

Brownie stage\n2. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, making sure to overlap the sides to create handles. Cover with nonstick spray.\n3. Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt (and espresso powder, if using) in a small bowl and set aside.\n4. Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or in slow increments in microwave. Stir until smooth. Whisk in sugars and stir until dissolved and mixture has cooled slightly, then add eggs and vanilla extract until just combined.\n5. Fold together the chocolate and flour mixes until just incorporated. Pour into prepared pan.\n6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.\n7. Cream filling stage\n8. Beat together corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth. Add powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, mixing until creamy.\n9. Dump 3\/4 of the cream mixture on top of cooled brownies and spread into an even layer. Add a drop of yellow food coloring to remaining cream mixture and stir until evenly colored. Drop dollops of yellow cream on top of white layer, and then swirl gently with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set.\n10. Glaze stage\n11. Slowly melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or microwave bowl. Stir until smooth. Pour over cream filling, carefully spreading into a thin, even layer.\n12. Chill in the fridge long enough for the chocolate to not quite harden, 15-20 minutes, OR let it chill for several hours and then let set at room temperature for about 15 minutes. The chocolate needs to be soft enough to cut through without cracking, but not soft enough to smear with each cut.\n13. Use the foil\/paper to lift the entire block out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Using a large sharp knife, cut into 2-inch squares. Keep in sealed container in fridge; brownies will keep upward of a week.\n14. OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}


Bready or Not: Cadbury Egg Brownies





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These Cadbury Egg Brownies taste like the candy, but better, as the brownie base balances with the acute sweetness of the top layers. This recipe produces a full 13×9 pan of goodness; make this to share with a crowd!

For Brownies:
1 1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
12 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For Cream Filling:
1/2 cup light corn syrup
4 tablespoons (half stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
yellow food coloring
For Glaze:
8 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons (half stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Brownie stage

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, making sure to overlap the sides to create handles. Cover with nonstick spray.

Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt (and espresso powder, if using) in a small bowl and set aside.

Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or in slow increments in microwave. Stir until smooth. Whisk in sugars and stir until dissolved and mixture has cooled slightly, then add eggs and vanilla extract until just combined.

Fold together the chocolate and flour mixes until just incorporated. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Cream filling stage

Beat together corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth. Add powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, mixing until creamy.

Dump 3/4 of the cream mixture on top of cooled brownies and spread into an even layer. Add a drop of yellow food coloring to remaining cream mixture and stir until evenly colored. Drop dollops of yellow cream on top of white layer, and then swirl gently with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set.

Glaze stage

Slowly melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or microwave bowl. Stir until smooth. Pour over cream filling, carefully spreading into a thin, even layer.

Chill in the fridge long enough for the chocolate to not quite harden, 15-20 minutes, OR let it chill for several hours and then let set at room temperature for about 15 minutes. The chocolate needs to be soft enough to cut through without cracking, but not soft enough to smear with each cut.

Use the foil/paper to lift the entire block out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Using a large sharp knife, cut into 2-inch squares. Keep in sealed container in fridge; brownies will keep upward of a week.

OM NOM NOM!

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Sunday Quote reads and reads and reads

“You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.”

~Annie Proulx

Announcing my new book deal: ROAR OF SKY

Yesterday, I finished writing the rough draft I began on March 1st.

94,555 words written in little over a month.

Today, I get to announce the details of that book: it’s the final volume in my Blood of Earth trilogy, Roar of Sky.

That means the full trilogy is:

Breath of Earth (out now)

Call of Fire (out on August 15th)

Roar of Sky (2018)

YAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!

#SFWAPro

Bready or Not: Hunter’s Cake

It’s April. We’re overdue for a cake recipe, yes? How about some Hunter’s Cake?

This is a cake that’s designed for some fantasy-style questing. The crumb is tender to eat but dense, so it doesn’t crumble much.

There’s no frosting, no fussiness. Wrap up slices of this cake to go in a lunch box, a picnic basket, a backpack, or Hobbit’s leather pouch.

Use whatever kind of chocolate you want. I used milk chocolate, because that’s what I tend to keep around. Whatever kind you use, be sure to coat the chocolate chips in flour before you add them to the batter. That will prevent them from sinking.

This cake is perfect to eat right out of hand. No fork required.

Modified from Rescued Recipes by Jan D’Atri in the Arizona Republic.

OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}


Bready or Not: Hunter's Cake





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This dense, pound cake-like cake is named Hunter’s Cake because it’s great to slice and pack for adventures. It doesn’t crumble much, and it’s delicious out of hand. Modified from Rescued Recipes by Jan D’Atri in the Arizona Republic.

1 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 eggs, room temperature
2 cups flour
8 ounces chocolate chips (any kind)
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan, tube pan, or angel food cake pan.

In a large bowl, beat together the shortening, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add eggs one at a time until smooth, followed by most of the flour.

In a small bowl, stir together the chocolate chips and remaining flour; this is important, as it will keep the chips from sinking in the batter as it bakes.

Stir the floured chocolate and walnuts into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 55 minutes and use the toothpick test to check for doneness; bake longer if necessary. The top of the cake will be golden brown and will likely develop cracks.

Let cool in pan for about 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack to completely cool. Store covered at room temperature. Cake is great to slice and pack for adventures!

OM NOM NOM!

 

Sunday Quote is on a magic carpet ride, hopefully

“A well-composed book is a magic carpet on which we are wafted to a world that we cannot enter in any other way.”

~Caroline Gordon

Bready or Not: Loaded Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Hey, it’s been a few weeks since I featured chocolate, so let’s indulge hardcore with some Loaded Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies.

There are a lot of similar pudding-based chocolate chip cookie recipes on food blogs. Some use terms like double, triple, or quadruple chocolate. Me, I’m calling them LOADED.

Use whatever chocolate you want. Mix ‘n match chocolate chips. Chop up some holiday candy bars. Throw in two cup’s worth, and these cookies will be good to go. In your mouth.

I’ve used pudding mix in other cookies and cakes before, with reason. It creates tender, delicious dough that also keeps well. In this case, it makes fat chocolate cookies. You’ll want to squish the dough balls, because they won’t spread much when they bake.

The result is a cookie that will make chocoholics flail in delight. These things are thick, luscious, and, well, loaded with chocolate.

OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}


Bready or Not: Loaded Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies





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Load these thick cookies with whatever kinds of chocolate you want! The pudding mix causes them to bake up plump and luscious, so be sure to flatten the dough balls as you place them on the sheet. They won’t spread much.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3.9 ounce box instant chocolate pudding (NOT Cook N' Serve or Sugar-Free)
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips/chopped bars of any kind

In a bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add the pudding mix powder.

Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Fold in the chocolate.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and tuck into the fridge to chill for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Use a tablespoon scoop to dollop the dough onto a cookie sheet. The cookies won’t spread much, so flatten them a bit. Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until the cookies are set. Let them settle on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a rack to completely cool.

OM NOM NOM!

Sunday Quote doesn’t want summer yet

“Being a writer is a very peculiar sort of a job: it’s always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen) and quite often the blank piece of paper wins.”

~Neil Gaiman

Bready or Not: Maple Raisin Bars

If you like chewy maple goodness, then these Maple Raisin Bars are for you!

So you ever look at a recipe and think, “Hey, that looks good, but I want to change half the ingredients around?” That’s how this recipe came about. I look at another recipe and decided to give it an overhaul. Golden raisins instead of apricots. Honey instead of molasses. And so on.

The result? Chewy, cakey bars with delightful gems of golden raisins sprinkled throughout. The turbinado sugar on top adds a special sparkle.

They taste kind of like gingerbread just, well, without any ginger. That’s the closest comparison I can make.

Even better, these keep well for days at room temperature, and they can also be frozen for later enjoyment.

Yep, these will be greatly enjoyed. Now or later.

OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}


Bready or Not: Maple Raisin Bars





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A Bready or Not Original! These Maple Raisin Bars are like chewy gingerbread bars, minus the ginger. The nommable crumb is made extra-chewy by the golden raisins spread throughout. Store them at room temperature, or freeze for later!

1 cup bread flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup maple sugar
1/2 cup avocado oil or canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup milk (almond milk is fine)
3 teaspoons turbinado sugar

Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Stir in the raisins. Set bowl aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together maple sugar, oil, honey, and milk. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry until fully combined. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan, making sure the raisins are well distributed. Sprinkle turbinado sugar all over the top.

Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, until the dough has puffed and it passes the toothpick test in the middle.

Let it cool completely. Lift out of pan with the foil and cut into squares. Store in a sealed container with waxed paper or parchment paper between the layers. Will keep well at room temperature for days, or can be frozen for weeks.

OM NOM NOM!