Smores Brownie Bar

I love how the sweetness is well balanced and just right in these evil seemingly-sugar overloaded smores brownie bar. The use of dark chocolate and espresso powder gave the brownie a rich depth of flavor which complimented perfectly with the toasty crust and marshmallows.

Smores Brownie Bar
recipe adapted from Cupcake Jemma
makes one 8x8 square pan

138g graham cracker crumbs
41g unsalted butter, melted
pinch of salt 

113g unsalted butter
113g dark chocolate *i used one with 88% cocoa
115g sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
75g white whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp instant coffee/espresso powder
24 large marshmallows, halved

1. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and salt. Press evenly onto lined 8x8 pan. Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Melt together unsalted butter and dark chocolate over double boiled or microwave. Set aside.
3. In separate bowl, beat sugar and eggs from low to medium high until pale and doubled in volume. Add vanilla extract and beat.
4. On low, beat in cooled melted chocolate/butter mixture just until incorporated.
5. Fold in flour and espresso powder.
6. Pour onto prepared crust. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until top and edges are set.
7. Remove from oven and cover brownie with halved marshmallows, sticky side down.
8. Turn up temperature in oven and return to oven to broil until marshmallows are toasty and golden brown.
9. Cool slightly and cut into bars.

These smores brownies are divine when fresh with the marshmallows still gooey and the brownie so fluffy and light. After chilling, the marshmallow is less gooey and the texture of the brownie is more fudgy. These are absolutely tasty and enjoyable either way.

Taste: 4.8 stars out of 5

Rich dark chocolate-y brownie with toasty marshmallows. Not overly sweet but indulgently satisfying.

Texture: 4.8 stars out of 5

Crust was a bit crumbly. Brownie was perfect- light and fluffy when warm and fudgy and melt in your mouth after chilling. 

Apricot Streusel Galette

Making pie dough on a hot day is not the smartest idea. The cold butter for that flaky crust was softening and melting unbelievably fast! My freezer door opened and closed for a countless amount of times that night.

Nonetheless, the crust turned out well.. Could not have guessed that it was made on the hottest day yet in 2016.

Galette Dough
recipe adapted from Hummingbird High

makes one 10-inch galette or two small galettes

1 cup all-purpose flour*
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt*
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1-inch cubes*
4 tablespoons water, very cold

*subbed with 113g white whole wheat flour, skipped salt and used salted butter

1. In food processor, briefly pulse together flour, sugar and salt until combined.
2. Add in butter and pulse until small beads form.
3. Dribble in cold water and pulse until dough starts to come together as a ball.
4. Flatten dough to a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.

5. When dough is chilled, roll out into a 14-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick on a lightly-floured surface.
6. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for at least another 30 minutes before using.

Apricot Filling
makes enough for one small galette

2 apricots, sliced into 1/4" slices
1 tsp organic coconut sugar
roughly 1/8 tsp ginger powder

Toss together and set aside. 

Assembly

streusel (leftover crumb topping), optional
heavy cream
turbinado sugar 

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Layer apricot slices on pre-rolled chilled dough, leaving a 2 inch border.

3. Fold border up and over itself, crimping and pushing it against the apricots.
4. Sprinkle streusel on top of apricots, if using.

5. Brush egg wash or heavy cream over folded crust.

6. Sprinkle sugar over.

7. Bake for 40 minutes, until crust is well browned and edges are slightly caramelized.

8. Let cool and enjoy warm, or leave in fridge to enjoy chilled.

Nom.

Taste: 4 stars out of 5

Buttery crust, tangy apricots with sweet crumbles. 

Texture: 4 stars out of 5

Flaky crust, moist and juicy apricots. Crumbles not as crispy as hoped.

Coconut Custard Pie

Happy 26th Fatty!
I will hold on the chiffon this time and combined your two favorites - coconut and custard - into a nice flaky pie.

Coconut Custard Pie
custard and cream makes enough for 2 pies!

FOR THE CUSTARD
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup maple syrup
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup skim milk
1-13.5 oz can of light coconut milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Prepare the custard by whisking together the eggs, flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the skim milk and light coconut milk. Heat until small bubbles begin to form along side of pan (do not boil).
3. Remove from heat. Stream milk slowly into egg mixture while whisking rapidly.
4. When all the milk is added, return mixture to the saucepan over low heat. Simmer until thick and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, transfer to a heatproof bowl and stash in fridge or freezer until custard is room temperature.
6. Stir in vanilla extract.

FOR THE COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM
1-13.5 oz can of regular coconut milk, refrigerated
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar

1. To prepare the whipped cream, spoon out the top cream portion of the refrigerated coconut cream into the bowl of a mixer.
2. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in vanilla and confectioner’s sugar.

FOR THE PIE
1 prebaked pie crust (see previous post for recipe and nutritionals)

1/4 cup toasted shredded coconut, unsweetened
3 tbsp toasted coconut chips, unsweetened

1. To assemble pie, pour cooled custard into crust.
2. Top with whipped cream and toasted coconut.
3. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or until custard is cold.

The pie turned out a bit shallow since my crust shrunk quite significantly this time. Not sure what really went wrong since I did pretty much the same thing as the many times before and made sure to chill the pie after fitting into pan. After some reading, I am suspecting the 1:1 flour to butter ratio (high liquid content) could be the reason. Maybe 2:1 is more standard. I still have the second half of the dough left and will try freezing it for a little longer to see if that helps with the shrinkage. If not, I think it's time to test another recipe! Less fat, why not?

The coconut flavor is the star of this pie. You get the coconut from the toasted coconut chips, coconut cream, AND coconut custard. I should've incorporated some shredded coconut into the crust too!

Custard made with yolks are probably more creamy and rich than the whole egg version here, but I don't really like the hassle/rush to find a use for the leftover whites. I am fine with the lighter creaminess of the whole egg version. The original sugar in the custard was also replaced with maple syrup to make it a bit more healthier. Note that the switch led to a longer time for the custard to thicken up.

mini one for tasting

Taste: 5 stars out of 5
Coconuty and sweetness was just right!
Texture: 4.5 stars out of 5
Whipped coconut cream is more solid than whipped cream. Next time for a fluffy soft cream, I may fold some whipped heavy cream in with the coconut cream to lighten it. Also, toast coconut chips longer for more crisp.

______________________________________________________________

I was working on the nutritionals for this pie and ended up with 26g of saturated fat and 130% of daily value for ONE slice (approx 8 slices per 9" pie). Knowing that coconut is high with saturated fats, I was still shocked to see that high of a number. 

What's my daily limit for foods with saturated fats?

The American Heart Association recommends aiming for a dietary pattern that achieves 5% to 6% of calories from saturated fat. That means, for example, if you need about 2,000 calories a day, no more than 120 of them should come from saturated fats. That’s about 13 grams of saturated fats a day.

(Source: American Heart Association)

BUT ...

• Saturated Fats only mildly elevate Large LDL, a benign subtype of LDL that is not associated with heart disease.
• Eating saturated fats raises blood levels of HDL (the “good”) cholesterol, which should lower your risk of heart disease.
• There is absolutely no evidence that eating saturated fat is associated with heart disease. It is a myth that was never proven.
• Natural foods that contain saturated fats are usually very nutritious and especially rich in fat soluble vitamins.

... according to another source.

It's not conclusive whether saturated fats are good or bad (and it depends on where that saturated fat is coming from too). But, it's bad anyways to be getting 130% of your daily value for saturated fat just from a slice of coconut custard pie.. But WAIT! I am so dumb. I made enough custard and cream for at least 2 pies. That cuts everything in half (or more.. since my pie is very shallow). And I corrected the portion to 12 slices per pie. The below nutritional is a rough estimate. 130 to 55%.. still a bit high? At least it's coming from natural sources.

Blueberry Crumb Cake/Pie

Blueberry Crumb Cake
recipe from FoodNetwork.com
-make one 9" round pan or one 6" and one 7" tart pan plus some extra

For the streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.
For the streusel:
- Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.
For the cake:
- Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,
- Crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.



NomNomNom. First time baking fruits. Dried fruits to be exact. I hated disliked baking fresh fruits. I just think it's gross to have fresh fruits warm. Is that too weird? But anyways, I stepped out of my bubble this time and picked this recipe that incorporates blueberries. I used dried blueberries instead since I had them at hand. And to my BIGGG SURPRISE, it turned out great. The blueberries added a slight sourness that balances the sweet moist cake! Love.



I baked this out of tart tins instead just because I wanted to use my new tart tins. Hehe. They were great. Minus the fact that I was frugal with every last bit of batter and streusel. I overflowed the tins.. The cake rose a little and the streusel was falling everywhere in the oven. Mess. ):



Nonetheless, the taste of this cake/pie is excellent. I thought it was a tab bit sweet at first but nah. It was so perfect with the blueberries. I love the streusel the most. The crunchiness of the streusel and the moistness of the cake.. Mhmm<3 The cake part was slightly chewy (maybe due to sour cream?).

Overall, I am pretty satisfy with my first attempt at baking with dried fruits. Btw, this is also my first time using nutmeg! I like the little extra spicy aroma it adds to the streusel!

**Side note:My cousins loved this cake as well! They ended up taking one whole pie home after trying a few slices.(:
&& Note to self: crumble the streusel finer for easy cutting next time!