Classic Diner-Style Chocolate Pie

Okay, so I have a confession.

Two Christmases ago (Christmas 2011), my sister and I made these big plans to bake a bunch of Christmas cookies. We narrowed it down to six different, scrumptious recipes. We divvied up who would buy what ingredients. We bought the supplies to package them up super cute (and they were SUPER cute).

Then we never made the cookies.

We didn't bake a single one. And we ended up returning all the adorable little plastic pails the cookies never graced.

But that's not my confession.

Most of the ingredients were pretty typical things that were pretty quickly used up in my regular baking and such. Except for the Nabisco chocolate wafers.

I felt like they were kind of hard to find, so I held on to them. And they have been sitting in my pantry ever since.

UNTIL NOW!

I used them for the crust of this chocolate pie. And do the math: they were over 16 months old! Way past their "best if used by" date. 

But my family is not dead from eating old cookies. They didn't even notice until I told them (after they'd already eaten plenty of pie). 

Moral of the story: Nabisco Chocolate Wafers hold up remarkably well, and chocolate pie covers many sins. 

Classic Diner-Style Chocolate Pie (printable recipe)

Recipe courtesy of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copied with permission.

Ingredients 30 (about 6 oz.) chocolate wafer cookies 1 Tbsp sugar 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1/2 c sugar 3 Tbsp chocolate malt Ovaltine 1 tsp salt 1/4 c cornstarch 5 large egg yolks 2 c whole milk 1/2 c heavy cream 5 oz. dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), chopped 2 oz. milk chocolate, chopped 1 tsp vanilla 2 tsp whiskey (I did not use this) whipped cream Cooking Directions In a food processor, grind the cookies to a very fine powder--you should have about 1 1/2 cups. Put crumbs in a bowl and stir in the sugar. Pour butter over the crumb mixture and mix until well combined. The mixture will feel wet. Turn the crumb mixture out into a 9-inch pie plate and press it into the bottom and up the sides. Freeze the crust while you make the filling. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, Ovaltine, salt, and cornstarch. Add the egg yolks and whisk until combined. The mixture will look like a thick paste. Slowly pour in the milk and cream, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly to prevent burning. Boil for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat. Add the chocolates, whiskey, and vanilla and whisk until combined. Continue to whisk for a few minutes to cool the mixture slightly. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes at room temperature. A thin skin may form as it cools; simply whisk the mixture again until the skin is gone. Pour the filling into the frozen pie shell. Refrigerate 4 hours before serving. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

NEWSFLASH! The previously posted recipe for Sweet and Salty Cake contained an omission in the ingredient list. It has been corrected, and I apologize for any inconvenience or resultant reduction of delectability. 

I had a discussion with my sister-in-law the other day about how baked goods look vs. how they taste. She felt like deliciousness is the measure of a baked good and appearance was unimportant. I agree that deliciousness trumps any other factor. But, in my mind anyway, I feel like if you put effort into executing all the steps correctly, it should look good in the end. Pretty, even.

But maybe I'm wrong.

Because I followed the instructions on these cookies to the letter. But they have that saggy-old-lady-skin look to the edges. Why?

I've done a little research, and most of what I found suggests one of two things:

1) Instead of using butter, use half butter half Crisco. To which I say, "Thanks for that; I'll file that away..."* Since deliciousness trumps appearance, that is not a viable option.

2) Chilling the dough before baking. To which I say, "But I did! The recipe told me to!"

After baking the initial batch, I even froze the rest of the dough in little balls and baked some a few days later. Still old lady skin cookies.

And, truth be told, the pictures of these cookies in the cookbook don't look super great, either. Not so wrinkly, but not the picture-perfect cookies I imagine.

So, next time, I will take some other advice I found, which is to reduce the baking soda. We'll see how that turns out.

In the meantime, the cookies were delicious. A great balance of cookie and chocolate chips. They will be my new go-to chocolate chip cookie, replacing the recipe I used to use, which was entitled "Best Cookies."

UNTIL NOW!

Chocolate Chip Cookies a.k.a. New Best Cookies (printable recipe)

Recipe courtesy of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copied with permission.
Ingredients

• 2 1/4 c flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool
• 1 c firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 2/3 c (16 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. The mixture will look light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for 5 seconds.
3. Add half the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerator for 6 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out dough in 2-tablespoon-size balls. Use your hands to shape the dough into perfect balls and place them 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the pans once during the cooking time, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and the tops just start to darken.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the individual cookies to the rack to cool completely.

* Does anybody know where that quote came from? I have listened to the movie playing in my car probably 100 times. Still funny.

Sweet and Salty Cake

Our local school district recently had its spring break. I happened to know that our neighbor was out of town, out of the country. One day, I drove past their house and noticed that their brick mailbox had been smashed to smithereens. I still have no idea how it could have happened, except for someone to have hit it head on, but even then it's in an unlikely spot. Anyway, I got it into my head how awesome  it would be if we could fix it before they got home and they wouldn't even know it was smashed! I figured between me and Joel, we could figure out how to do a little brickwork and make it look good. A perfect plan!
Until I remembered this cake.
It was such a disaster. It was unseasonably warm that day, and the frosting would not whip up. The cake layers were so moist that they fell apart really easily. I stuck the frosting in the freezer, so it finally thickened and whipped, but trying to put it all together was a terrible mess, especially because the cake had to be further moistened with a salted caramel sauce. Every layer I added just slid around and cracked. Every time I tried to coat the outside, the layers shifted messed everything up. Complete mess.
Oh, it was delicious. Perhaps the most delicious chocolate cake I've ever had. Definitely the best recipe from the book yet.
But not the best endorsement of my ability to mortar layers together.
So the mailbox remains smashed. But the cake tasted amazing.

I was frustrated enough with my cake problems that I didn't even try to get a good picture, which was kind of pouty on my part. But you get the idea.
It is a pretty labor-intensive cake. But you won't regret it. Even if it's ugly.

Sweet and Salty Cake (printable recipe)

Recipe courtesy of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copied with permission.

• 3/4 c dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 c hot water
• 2/3 c sour cream
• 2 2/3 c flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 c vegetable shortening
• 1 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 1 c firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and buter the parchment. Dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, hot water, and sour cream and set aside to cool.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until ribbonlike, about 5 minutes. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and mix again for 30 seconds. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the cocoa mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
5. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until cake tests clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans, and let cool completely. Remove the parchment.

Salted caramel

• 1/2 c heavy cream
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 c sugar
• 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
• 1/4 c sour cream

1. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over very low heat.
2. Meanwhile, keeping a close eye on the cream so it doesn't burn, in a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar, and corn syrup, stirring them together carefully so you don't splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until a candy thermometer reads 350 degrees or until the mixture is dark amber in color. Remove from the heat and let cool for 1 minute.
3. Add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Whisk in the sour cream. Let the caramel cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the cake.

Whipped caramel ganache frosting

• 1 pound dark chocolate (60 to 70% cacao), chopped
• 1 1/2 c heavy cream
• 1 c sugar
• 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
• 2 c (4 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces

1. Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over very low heat.
3. Meanwhile, keeping a close eye on the cream so it doesn't burn, in a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar, and corn syrup, stirring them together carefully so you don't splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until a candy thermometer reads 350 degrees. Remove from the heat and let the caramel cool for 1 minute.
4. Add the cream to the caramel and stir to combine. Stir slowly for 2 minutes, the pour the caramel over the chocolate. Let the caramel and chocolate sit for 1 minute, then, starting in the center of the bowl, and working your way out to the edges, slowly stir the chocolate and caramel mixture in a circle until the chocolate is completely melted. Let the mixture cool, then transfer it to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
5. Mix on low speed until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the butter, beating until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and beat on high speed until the mixture is fluffy. Keeping mixture cool throughout the process helps.

Assemble the cake

1. Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Spread 1/4 cup of the caramel over the top. Let the caramel soak into the cake, then spread 3/4 cup of the ganache frosting over the caramel. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the sea salt over the frosting, then top with the cake layer. Spread with caramel and then the frosting and 1 tsp sea salt. Top with third layer. Spread with caramel. Crumb coat the cake and put the cake in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up the frosting. Frost the sides and top with the remaining frosting. Garnish with a sprinkle of sea salt.
2. This cake will keep beautifully in a cake saver at room temperature (cool and humidity free) for up to three days.

Honeycomb Bars

I basically made these for my husband, Joel. I knew he would love anything with this many nuts in it.
Speaking of Joel and nuts, how do you pronounce the following nut?

ALMOND

Do you say AH-mund, AWL-mund, or perhaps AMM-und?

I'm an AH-mund girl, personally. Which wouldn't be considered notable, except for the fact that my husband--nay, his entire family--has made fun of me for my L-less almond pronunciation.

UNTIL NOW!

For just a moment, I'm going to allow my inner nerd free rein*:

1) dictionary.com:

al·mond

  [ah-muhnd, am-uhnd; spelling pronunciation al-muhnd


2) Merriam-Webster's online dictionary:

al·mond

 noun \ˈä-mənd, ˈa-, ˈäl-, ˈal-\

3) New Oxford American Dictionary: almond |ˈä(l)mənd; ˈa(l)-|

ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French alemande, from medieval Latin amandula, from Greek amugdalē.

I know the phonetic notations are weird and confusing, especially that last one. But the important thing is this: the FIRST pronunciation in every dictionary (which indicates the more commonly accepted--dare I say--CORRECT pronunciation) advocates an L-less pronunciation! The first two dictionaries even list AMM-und BEFORE AL-mund, and who says AMM-und?? Only almond growers in California!

If you want further proof that I'm right information, I found this Grammarphobia blog post to be quite interesting.

So nerdy.

On to the dessert.

I was a little disappointed in this final product. In the middle of it, I tasted the honey-cream glaze and was so excited for the honeycomb bars. It reminded me of the honey taffy my sister-in-law (yeah, she made fun of me for my correct pronunciation, too) made once. Really delicious.

But then I put it all together and baked it. It was just too sweet. I'm trying to decide if, next time, I should reduce the sugar or just cut down on the glaze. The flavors of the almonds, cherries, and candied orange peel just got consumed in the sweet honey.

It tasted good, just too much of a good thing, perhaps. I'm not saying these should not be made. Only adjusted to taste.

Honeycomb Bars (printable recipe)

Recipe courtesy of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copied with permission.

Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients

• 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 c sugar
• 2 tsp heavy cream
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 c dried cherries, chopped
• 1/3 c diced candied orange peel (instructions below)
• 2 Tbsp cake flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/3 c sugar
• 1 1/4 c heavy cream
• 1/3 c honey
• 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 c sliced almonds, toasted

Make the Sweet Tart Dough:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until combined.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the heavy cream, egg yolk, and vanilla. Add this to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and add the flour and salt until just combined. Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and form into an oblong disk. Wrap the disk tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13-in. pan.
4. Roll out the dough into the large rectangle roughly the shape of the pan. Transfer the dough to the pan and press into the bottom of the pan; if dough falls apart, simply press it in pieces in the pan. Cover the dough with a sheet of parchment paper. Place dried beans or pie weights over the dough and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment and bake for another 5 minutes. Transfer from the oven to a cooling rack. Keep the oven on.
   
   Make the Honeycomb Bar Filling:
5. In a medium bowl, toss together the dried cherries, orange peel, cake flour, and salt. Set aside.
6. In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, heavy cream, honey and butter. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and bring the mixture to the soft ball stage, approx. 240 degrees. Do not stir the mixture while it is coming to this stage.
7. Fold in the dry ingredients and the almonds into the hot sugar mixture and pour the mixture into the sweet tart crust. Spread the filling evenly, and smooth the top.
8. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the bar is golden and bubbly.
9. Cool completely before cutting.

Candied Orange Peel (printable recipe)

Ingredients

• 2 oranges
• 2 c sugar
• 3/4 c light corn syrup

Cooking Directions

1. Wash oranges thoroughly. With a knife or sharp peeler, peel each lemon in large strips, leaving the white pith behind; remove any remaining white pith by scraping with a paring knife.
2. Place the peel in a heavy-bottomed pot and cover with 1 cup of cold water. Bring to a boil and strain. Repeat this step three times.
3. Place peel, 2 cups of water, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium-sized pot. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the mixture forms a thick syrup and the peel becomes translucent. When the syrup has cooled, remove the peel and cut it into strips. Return the strips to the syrup.
4. Peel can be stored in the syrups in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To use decoratively, remove peel from syrup and roll in granulated sugar. Use immediately or let dry on a rack overnight.
   
   Lemon peel can be substituted for orange peel; use 4 lemons.

*Some might argue that my inner nerd always has free rein. And just to drive the point home, do you ever wonder if it's "free rein" or "free reign"? I do. They both make sense to me. Letting a horse be free of the reins; letting a monarch reign however he or she wants. But the correct usage is "free rein," the horse one. Now we know.