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Posts Tagged ‘Whole Wheat Flour’

Chocolate, Walnut, and Oatmeal Cookies with Browned Butter and Coconut Oil

Posted in Dessert, tagged , , , , , , , on March 9, 2012| 10 Comments »

I know, I know, could I possible have a more lengthy title for a recipe?  I could.  I didn’t mention the whole wheat flour.  You get the idea.  This is a cookie recipe I’ve been playing around with for the last few weeks.  You already know that I’m a cookie fiend, so this one is for me (and hopefully you).  It has all of my favorite  flavors that make-up a perfect cookie.

Let’s break this down.  First, I wanted to create a cookie that contains coconut oil.  You can read a bit about it here on my friend Amy’s blog.  Not only do I love the health factor, but the flavor is phenomenal.  Use virgin coconut oil as opposed to regular, as it has a more noticeable coconut flavor.   Then there’s the browned butter.  Is there anything that brown butter does not make better?  Of course not.  It adds a deep caramel-like flavor that is unforgettable.  The toasted walnuts add a brilliant crunch.  Now cookies are obviously not going to be terribly healthy, but I slipped in whole wheat flour and rolled oats for fiber.   Finally, we get to the chocolate chips.  Use good quality chocolate, or even go the chunk route and chop your own.

All of these elements come together to make this delicious cookie.  It’s loaded with great ingredients and has wonderful texture– crisp on the very edges and soft in the middle.  Now that’s what I’m talking about.  My husband declared this the best cookie he’s ever eaten.  So, that’s something, right?!  I hope you enjoy these little morsels as much as I have!

The Recipe:  Chocolate Chip, Walnut, and Oatmeal Cookies with Browned Butter and Coconut Oil

(Makes 24-26 cookies)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, browned

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup (5 ounces) whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup chocolate chips (Ghirardelli 60 % cacao chips are my favorite)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan over medium heat add the butter.  Stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, cook the butter until it becomes a beautiful medium colored brown, just a few minutes.   Too little will not have enough flavor, and too much will taste burnt.  It will smell fragrant and somewhat caramel-like.  Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool for at least 10 minutes.

In a small sauté  pan over medium heat add the walnuts.  Stirring frequently, toast them until they become fragrant, just a few minutes.  Keep a watchful eye, as they can burn quickly.  Remove from heat and pour onto a plate to cool for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (a hand mixer or bowl and wooden spoon can also be used), add the coconut oil, browned butter (brown bits, too), and brown sugar.  Cream the mixture on medium speed for about 2 minutes.  Mix the beaten egg and vanilla together and pour that into the bowl.  Continue to cream for about 3-4 more minutes, or until the mixture has gained a little volume and has become pale in color (Note: it won’t have as much volume as cookies with room temperature butter). Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.  Turn the machine off and stir in the oats, chocolate chips and walnuts by hand.

Roll into balls by hand or use a small scoop.  Use a bit of pressure to make the mixture form a solid ball.  Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes, the edges should just be starting to turn golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool on pan for a couple of minutes.  Remove from pan and place on a cooling rack.  The cookies will keep for a few days in an airtight container.  Enjoy!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!  Be sure to check back next week — something exciting will be happening on Relishing It!

Laurie

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Homemade Pizza 101

Posted in Savory, tagged , , , , , on January 4, 2012| 11 Comments »

Had enough heavy Holiday foods and sweets yet?  Me too.  I figure it’s time to get back to a few delicious everyday recipes.  Now that it’s just you, me, and Winter, we can make all sorts of great dishes for no good reason other than because we want to.  Today, it’s homemade pizza.  What’s more ‘everyday’ than that?  This is the perfect stay-at-home meal that’ll make you happy you didn’t head out into the wind and cold searching for a restaurant this weekend.  The base here is my go-to pizza crust (though, admittedly, I love this one by Zoe Francois as well).  This multi-flour pizza crust tastes amazing and it’s ridiculously easy to throw together.  It never fails me.

I know, I know– we’ve all made homemade pizza, so why should you try this recipe?  I guess three reasons come to mind.  First, the crust here combines three different flours.  They give the dough more depth, more heartiness.  While you may find it a bit more difficult to track down the rye flour, it’s worth making the effort.  And even if you can’t, add in more regular flour to ensure that the total amount is about 14 ounces.  This dough is easy to make ahead of time.  While it’s ready in just over an hour, if you want to let it sit in the refrigerator for a day or so, you’ll really notice that the flavors deepen.

Reason number two for following this recipe is the pizza stone.  Sure, it isn’t actually part of the recipe, but if you’ve been disappointed by your homemade efforts in the past, a decent pizza stone can make a huge difference.  Go buy one– now.  They vary in price and size, so pick one that fits your needs.  The stone is a must-have for a decent crust.  You’ll want the crust to begin baking on contact.  It adds that nice crunchiness that so many homemade efforts are missing.  I’ve experimented with this pizza crust recipe over the years, and finally found that using the heated stone– as well as rolling out the crust very thin— makes all the difference.  It is perfectly crispy, yet still substantial.

Reason number three is the ingredients.  Of course we all like different toppings, but if you haven’t tried ricotta cheese, olive oil, and fresh herbs on your pizza, you’re missing out.  Try it.  I insist.  Ricotta provides such a delightful creaminess, that nicely balances the salt so prevalent in other ingredients.  And olive oil and fresh herbs add a vibrancy that so many pizzas lack.  (Note, if you put herbs on your pizza, put those on after its baked to avoid burning them.)  If you’re curious, the pizza in the photographs contains olive oil, sliced garlic, roasted red pepper, spinach, ricotta cheese, grated mozzarella, parmesan, and red-pepper flakes.  Give it a try, or experiment for yourself.  Either way, have a wonderful pizza night this weekend with your family!

The Recipe: Homemade Pizza Dough

(Makes enough for 2 medium pizzas or several individuals)

1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour  (note: the total weight of all the flours combined should be about 14 ounces)

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup rye flour

2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt

1  to  1 1/4 cups water heated to 100-110°F

2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

Making the Dough: Using a food processor fitted with the dough blade, add the flours, salt, and yeast (of course this can all be done by hand, if you don’t have a food processor). Pulse it a few times to combine.  Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water plus 2 tablespoons olive oil slowly into the feed tube.  Process for about 30 seconds and then slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of water, a little bit at a time, until the mixture forms a dough ball and begins swirling around the processor. You may not need the entire 1/4 cup of water.  It should be slightly sticky to the touch.  If it’s too dry, add a bit more water.   Turn the dough onto a slightly floured work surface and knead by hand for a minute or so.  Place dough into a bowl greased with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.  At this point, you can use the dough immediately.  Or you can deepen the flavor and refrigerate it over night.  If you have the time, a slow-rise in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours is also an option.  You may also freeze the dough.  Defrost in a covered bowl in the refrigerator or at room temperature.  I’ve kept my dough in the refrigerator for several days and it just seems to deepen the flavor.

Getting ready to make the pizza:  Place your pizza stone on the middle rack in your oven.  Preheat the oven for as high as it will go, mine is 500°F, for 30 minutes before you place your pizza on the stone.   On a floured surface, roll your pizza dough out to your desired thickness (I suggest going very thin!).  Generously flour a pizza peel or the back of a large cookie sheet and place the rolled-out dough onto it.  Make sure you can move the dough around with ease, as it will need to slip off of the surface and onto the pizza stone very quickly.  Place your toppings onto the pizza.  Make sure to drizzle any olive oil onto the pizza after it is on the stone, if need be, or it will run everywhere during the transfer.  Open the oven and pull out the rack.  Gently and very confidently slip the pizza onto the stone.  Make sure to start at the end of the stone furtherest away from you.  Close the oven door and let bake until the cheese is a deep golden brown and done to your liking.  Check it often, it will take about 5- 7 minutes. However, every oven is different, so do not rely on this number too heavily.

Source: Adapted from Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything

So glad to stopped by Relishing It today!  I love having your company.

Laurie

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Double Apple Bundt Cake

Posted in Dessert, tagged , , , , , on October 27, 2011| 5 Comments »

The leaves have been tumbling down for the last couple of weeks here.  It seems that even after several hours of weekend raking– or what Radd calls ‘the worst possible way to spend an afternoon’– we wake on Monday morning to a blanketed backyard.  I don’t mind it so much.  Having a huge, majestic tree makes it worthwhile.  In the Spring, I love seeing the new green leaves come in. It also protects us from the brutal afternoon Summer sun while the kids play in the backyard through July and August.  And for a few all-to-brief weeks in October, I get to enjoy the transformation of leaves from deep green to brilliant yellow and orange.  Then they fall.  And they keep falling.  I’ll take it though, even if it means we have to rake our tails off for a few days every October.

Speaking of October, I’m still hooked on those delicious, tart apples, so I thought I’d throw together an apple dessert.  This Double Apple Bundt cake is one of my favorite styles.  It’s dense, moist, and fuss-free.  To be honest, I actually find most bundt cakes to be better the day after they’re made.  It’s as if they’ve had a chance to consolidate, or come together a bit more…it’s hard to explain, but there’s just more substance the day after baking.  Aside from having fantastic flavors, this cake is also a great make-ahead dessert.

This cake has a BIG apple flavor.  It combines a double-shot of grated apples and either apple butter or apple sauce.  I’ve made it both ways, and they’re equally good.  The addition of toasted walnuts and white raisins provide nice texture, though neither is overpowering.  I’m not a huge raisin fan, but they really work here.  I also added whole grains and cut back on the sugar and butter.   Make this cake– with a cup of coffee, it tastes like Fall.

The Recipe:  Double Apple Bundt Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour (substitute all-purpose, if necessary)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter  (8 tablespoons)

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

1 cup apple butter or applesauce

2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and grated

1 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

1/2 cup plump golden raisins  (regular will work, too)

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting, optional

For the Icing

1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

about 2 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Butter a 9-to-10-inch (12 cup) Bundt pan.  Dust pan with flour if it’s not non-stick.

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.  Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and the sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes.  Scrape the bowl as needed.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the apple butter or sauce — your batter will look curdled.  Add the grated apples and mix to completely blend.  Add the dry ingredients  and mix until just combined.  Do not over mix.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in the nuts and raisins.

Pour mixture into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top.  Do not place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Transfer to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before unfolding and cooling the cake to room temperature.  If you can stand it — cover the cake overnight with either plastic wrap or a cake dome and let sit at room temperature.  This will allow the flavors to meld and the texture of the cake will be wonderful.

Make the icing by combining the confectioners’ sugar and some of the orange juice into a bowl.  Slowly add more of the juice until you get your desired consistency to drizzle on the cake.  Ice the cake and allow a few minutes to dry before slicing into it.  Enjoy!

Source:  Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home To Yours

Thanks for stopping by Relishing It today– enjoy your weekend!

Laurie

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