Salted Caramel Blackberry Brownies

Blackberry Brownies
recipe adapted from Food Mouth
makes one 8" square pan

55g (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
52g (1/4 cup) coconut oil, melted
70g (approx. 1/3 cup) granulated sugar
100g (approx 1/2 cup) golden brown sugar
85g (3/4 cup) extra dark cocoa powder*
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
85g (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
170g (6 oz.) blackberries
3/4 cup salted caramel sauce (see recipe to follow)

*60g natural unsweetened cocoa powder + 25g instant coffee powder

Subbed 30% cocoa powder with instant coffee powder.

Whisk together sugars, cocoa powder and melted oil.

Whisk in eggs and vanilla until smooth.

Sift in dry ingredients.

Fold in blackberries.

Pour into prepared pan.

Do not drizzle salted caramel as shown.

1. PREP: Preheat oven to 350F and line a 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
2. WET: Melt butter and coconut oil using double boiler or microwave. Combine sugars and cocoa powder in bowl and stir in butter/oil until smooth.
3. Add eggs and vanilla, incorporating until smooth.
4. DRY: Sift baking powder, salt, and flour in separate bowl. Stir in wet mixture until almost combined.
5. BERRIES: Fold blackberries in.
6. ASSEMBLE: Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spoon caramel over top in an even layer. Spread remaining brownie batter on top.**
7. BAKE: Bake 25-30 minutes until a tester comes out clean.

**Did one layer and drizzled caramel on top. Do not do this as caramel burns ):

Burnt caramel?

Fresh out of oven.

Salted Caramel Sauce
recipe adapted from Made with Chobani

1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp butter, unsalted, cut into pieces
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Swirl sugar around pan until evenly caramelized.

Final product- darker than I wanted.

1. HEAT: Place sugar and salt in a medium sized pot and turn on medium high heat. Do not stir. Swirl pan to avoid sugar burning.
2. KEEP AN EYE ON THIS: Let sugar come up to 315° or till it turns red-brown. Once sugar has reached desired temperature/color, remove from heat.
3. WHISK: Add cream all at once and whisk to incorporate. Then add butter and whisk to incorporate.
4. COOL: Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. 

I never had blackberries in brownies, but this combo works! The tartness of the blackberries is refreshing and resets the palette with each bite against the rich and indulgent chocolate. Since I didn't have enough cocoa powder, I took a leap of faith and subbed almost 30% with instant coffee powder. The batter smelled absolutely delicious and the result is serendipitous. The coffee cuts down the sweetness and intensifies the chocolate in these brownies, making it more grown up friendly.

I doubt this is the first time I make salted caramel, but I really can't recall when was the last time. I am happy to say though that this latest (and possibly first) attempt of salted caramel was a success! I don't have a candy thermometer so I timed everything based on color. My sugar actually started to sizzle and bubble when it was near red brown which could've been a sign that it was burning. The salted caramel has the faintest burnt taste, but it could be me being paranoid from the sizzling.

Also, lesson learned- do not bake salted caramel. it burns! I got lazy trying to spread the first thin layer and dumped the idea of sandwiching caramel in between the batter. I should've just left it out all together and drizzled it on post bake. The salted caramel drizzle ended up turning slightly dark in the oven and added a slightly roasted flavor (or bitterness?) to the brownies. 

Taste: 3.5 stars out of 5

Rich and intense chocolate flavor without any melted chocolate! Roasted coffee flavor. Slightly bitter from burnt caramel.

Texture: 4 stars out of 5 

Enjoyed these both fresh out of the oven and chilled. When hot/warm, it's extremely moist resembling a molten chocolate lava cake. I prefer them chilled when the berries are cold and the brownie texture is dense and fudgy.

Sweet tooth satisfied.

Quinoa Kale Crustless Quiche

This Quinoa Kale Quiche is a great start to my 2016's baking resolutions-
bake savory items and incorporate healthy ingredients

This quiche is both crustless (read: less carbs) and does not use any heavy cream in the filling (read: less fat)! Reigning as one of the healthiest foods of all time, quinoa boosts the nutritional quality as well as gives the quiche a nice fluffy soft texture. There's kale in here too!

Excellent savoriness for breakfast, afternoon tea, side dishes or even as a star alongside a refreshing salad! Delicious hot or at warm temperature.

Quinoa Kale Crustless Quiche
recipe adapted from Food52
makes one 9" round

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch kale (3.5cup//235g) stems removed and cut into ribbons
1 vidalia onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
3 oz cream cheese, cubed
4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste*
optional: garlic powder, cayenne pepper

*1/2 tsp salt

Cook quinoa according to package instructions.

Let cool after cooked.

Saute/ caramelize onions.

Saute kale.

Stir everything together.

Whisk eggs on the side and add them in as well.

Ready to bake.

Bake until golden brown!

1. PREP: Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9" pie dish.
2. QUINOA: Combine quinoa and water in pan. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. Set aside to cool.
3. ONIONS: Meanwhile, start to caramelize onions. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan on medium heat. When oil is shimmering, add onions. Slowly cook until onions are soft and browned. Remove onions from pan, and place them in a large mixing bowl.
4. KALE: Add kale into hot pan. On medium heat, cook until kale is wilted and bright green, about two minutes. Allow to cool. Squeeze out any extra liquid using a sieve or a clean dish towel.
5. COMBINE: Add kale, quinoa, garlic, cream cheese and cheddar to the mixing bowl with onions. Stir together until evenly distributed.
6. EGGS: In a small bowl, whisk eggs until well combined. Pour over quinoa/kale mixture. Stir until eggs cling to greens.
7. SEASONINGS: Add salt and pepper. (and optional seasoning)
8: BAKE: Pour mixture in prepared pie dish. Bake for about 45 minutes until top is golden and the pie has started to pull away from the edge of the baking dish.

The healthy elements did not at all compromise the tastiness and fluffy/creamy texture. This will definitely be one of my staple recipes. I will play around with the toppings and seasonings next time for different yummy combinations.

Taste: 5 stars out of 5
Perfectttttttttto! Savory. Cheesy. Garlicky.
Texture: 5 stars out of 5
Perfectttttttttto! Fluffy but firm enough for clean slices.

(See my last quiche post here. Note big improvements!)

Freeze-and- Ready-Anytime Chocolate Chunk Cookies

My 2010 attempt of the "best" CCC recipe from New York Times did not leave me with a CCC recipe to rave about but instead an overwhelming amount of cookies that were way too sweet. The sweetness was unbearable. Although I said I would give it another try, I rather try out different recipes that are much less time consuming.

Since that disaster, I always make sure to start with half batch for any first time cookie recipes. I can always bake another full batch if they are that good, but I certainly don't want to be throwing cookies away.

If you ask me for a CCC recipe before this weekend, I would direct you to this NM CCC. I make them occasionally, but they don't quite match up to the classic CCC I dream and crave- golden brown with a crisp exterior and chewy center.

It's 2016, and I am happy to say my blog (and my life) finally has a winning chocolate chip cookie recipe!

Bonus pros besides the perfectly thick, crisp and chewy cookies:
- no softening/creaming butter
- freeze up to 3 months/ ready to eat anytime
- flavors intensify overtime!

Freeze-and- Ready-Anytime Chocolate Chunk Cookies
recipe halved from Humming Bird High
makes 15 big cookies

1/2 cup (4 oz // 1 stick) unsalted butter, chopped into 1-inch squares
1 5/8 cup (8.13 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 + 1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 + 1/4 tsp kosher salt*
3/4 cup (5.63 oz) dark brown sugar, tightly packed*
1/4 cup (1.75 oz) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 oz bittersweet chocolate feves, coarsely chopped*
flaky sea salt*
optional: 1 tsp instant espresso/coffee powder

*subbed with fine sea salt, golden brown sugar, semi sweet chocolate chunks

Whisk melted butter with sugars.

Add egg.

Whisk to combine.

Mix in dry ingredients.

Stir in chocolate chunks.

Stir till no longer dusty.

I used a scale and measured out 85g dough balls.

1. In a medium saucepan over lowest heat possible, melt butter without boiling. Stir regularly, until butter is almost completely melted.
2. In a bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.
3. Once butter is melted, pour into large bowl and whisk in dark brown sugar and granulated sugar. The mixture may look like it will seize, but it will relax with a few seconds of stirring. Add egg, whisking briefly to combine. Stir in vanilla extract.
4. Once vanilla extract is incorporated into mixture, switch from a whisk to a rubber spatula. Sprinkle dry ingredients (from 2nd step) over mixture, and use rubber spatula to mix in dry ingredients. Once mostly blended, stir in chocolate feves. Be sure to bring any stray ingredients up from bottom of bowl, and continue mixing until the dough no longer looks dusty. If the dough seems warm or overly glossy, refrigerate for 5 minutes.
5. Use a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop to measure out 3 Tbsp of dough for each cookie, using your hands to roll together to create a bigger ball of dough to make one cookie.**

**I used a scale and evenly divided the dough into 9 balls; each ball weighted about 85g.

If enjoying now:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet.
2. Arrange dough balls on baking sheet, leaving 3 inches between each cookie.
3. Sprinkle the top of each dough ball with flaky sea salt.
4. Bake until tops are cracked and lightly golden, around 10 to 12 minutes
5. Transfer to wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes, before enjoying.

Space dough balls 3" apart.

Bake till tops are cracked and lightly golden.

If enjoying later:

Freeze up to 3 months!

1. Line a square or rectangular cake pan with wax paper.
2. Take measured out dough balls and line them in the pan. Edges of dough ball may touch each other and the sides of the pan.
3. Sprinkle the tops of each dough ball with flaky sea salt.
4. Cover the top of the cake pan with another sheet of wax paper, using a rubber band to create a sealed top over the cake pan.
-If using an 8x8-inch square pan, slip a gallon Ziploc-bag over pan and seal it close, squeezing out any excess air.
-If using a 9x13-inch pan, cover the wax paper-topped pan with another layer of plastic wrap.
5.Transfer to freezer and freeze until ready to use for up to 3 months.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet .
7. Remove frozen cookie dough from the freezer and use a serrated knife to slice however many cookie dough balls you want from the frozen clump.
8. Arrange dough balls on baking sheet, leaving 3 inches between each cookie.
9. Use the back of your hand to slightly flatten the top of each dough ball.***
10. Bake until tops are cracked and lightly golden, around 18 to 20 minutes.
11. Transfer to wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes, before enjoying.

***I wasn't able to flatten my dough balls since they were frozen hard. They baked up nice and thick, and took around 20-23 minutes.

The cookies are filled with chocolate chunks in every bite! Do the 6oz if that's your preference. For me, I would add 3 oz chocolate and 3 oz chopped walnuts next time. I also subbed fine sea salt for flaky which is a no-no since there was only the faintest hint of salt.

Taste: 5 out of 5
Buttery, rich and sweet
Note: this recipe has 33% less sugar than the NYT's recipe
Texture: 5 out of 5
Thick with a crisp exterior and moist chewy interior

NOM.

*inaccurate - 2/9/2017