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Nutella makes everything taste good...

8/24/2017

Ingredients

1/3 cup nutella
1 ¾ cup (8 ¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ¾ sticks)
½ cup granulated sugar (3 ½ ounces)
¾ cups packed brown sugar (5 ¼ ounces) – dark works best
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus extra for topping the cookies

Instructions

Line a plate with parchment paper. Scoop nutella in heaping teaspoon mounds on the parchment paper - you need about 16. Place mounds in the refrigerator to harden.
Whisk flour and baking soda in a medium bowl.
In a 10-inch skillet (don’t use a nonstick skillet if possible, because it makes it hard to tell with the butter is browned), melt 10 tablespoons of the unsalted butter over medium-high heat. Once melted, swirl the pan constantly until the butter is golden brown. This entire process will take about 3 – 5 minutes, and the butter will have a nutty smell. Watch the pan closely to avoid burning the butter.
Transfer the browned butter to a large heatproof bowl, and add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Stir until it is melted.
Add the sugars, salt and vanilla to the butter and whisk together. Add the egg and the egg yolk and whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds. Let the mixture rest for 3 minutes. Whisk again for 30 seconds, and then let it rest 3 more minutes. Do this one more time, until the mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny.
Stir in the flour mixture, then stir in the chocolate chips.
Chill dough overnight. If you need to bake the cookies immediately, you can. I just think the cookies taste better when the dough sits overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Scoop about 3 tablespoon of dough. Make a deep well in the center and place a teaspoon of the refrigerated nutella in the center of the dough. Shape the dough around the nutella, covering completely. Pace onto cookie sheets, spacing the dough 2 inches apart. Bake 10 – 14 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown on the edges but still soft in the center. Gently press a few chocolate chips on the top of the warm cookies. Allow cookies to cool on the sheet for 3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

A Twist On A Classic

8/15/2017

*I'm obligated to tell you that this contains peanuts.*

Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup honey
¼ cup vegetable shortening
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup granulated sugar, in a small bowl, for rolling cookies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the peanut butter, honey and shortening on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Give the mixture a final stir with a rubber spatula to ensure all of the flour has been incorporated.
Use a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons of dough) to scoop out dough and roll into a ball between the palms of your hands. Roll in the sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets about two inches apart. Using fork tines, press a criss-cross pattern into the tops of the cookies, flattening them into disks.
Bake until lightly golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a spatula to remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

A new kind of cinnamon roll

8/2/2017

Ingredients:

Dough

1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast (2 standard size packets)*
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting/rolling

Filling

½ cup sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder (or dry coffee creamer - do *not* omit)
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cold & cut into 4 pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup sprinkles (not nonpareils)
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Glaze

1 cup powdered (confectioners’) sugar
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Make The Dough: In a small saucepan, warm the milk over low heat until lukewarm (no need to use a thermometer, but to be precise: about 95 degrees F). Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a stand electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment and manually stir in the sugar and yeast. Cover with a towel and let stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5-10 minutes. Add the softened butter, eggs, and salt. Scrape down the sides and manually stir as needed. Chunks of butter will remain. Gradually add the flour and beat at medium speed until a soft dough forms. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is soft and supple, about 6 minutes longer. *If you do not have a stand-mixer with a hook attachment, knead the dough by hand in this step.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands for about 2 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly greased bowl. Cover the dough and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving room on the sides. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling in, roll into a 10x24 inch rectangle. I used a ruler for accuracy. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick, even at the corners.
Make The Filling: In a food processor, combine the sugar, flour, milk powder, and salt. Process for 10 seconds. Add the pieces of butter and pulse for 10 more seconds. Add the vanilla over the top and pulse until the mixture is crumbly, about 10 more seconds. Toss in the sprinkles with a fork.
Spread dough with 6 Tablespoons of softened butter and top with cinnamon. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the cake mix filling overtop. There will be some leftover. See below for suggested uses. Tightly roll up the dough to form a 24-inch-long log. Cut into 15 even rolls (about 1.5 inches in width each). Arrange them in the prepared baking pan, cut sides up. Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place until they are puffy, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Cover the rolls with aluminum foil and bake for about 25 minutes, until they are golden. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes.
Make The Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk the confectioner’s sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla until smooth. Add more sugar or cream, depending how thick you want the glaze. Pour glaze over the rolls and serve warm.

Note: It's very important that you measure precise.