Pretty In Pink-Raspberry Macaroons

Pink and Perfect - Raspberry Macaroons

I have a little bit of an obsession with French Macaroons, or at least trying to find the most foolproof recipe.  Although I have taken not 1 but 2 classes at schools to perfect my technique it still seems to be a bit of a crap shoot with the results.

Today's recipe worked wonderfully.  Not sure how that is as most of the recipes for French Macaroons are eerily similar no matter how many recipe books you spend your hard earned money on. But since the batter was not too watery and they can together quickly and piped out easily I thought it would be worth sharing.

Making them pink with a few drops of food colouring and adding a little raspberry flavouring to the shells just made them more feminine and pretty, somehow adding to their appeal.

Stiff beaten egg whites with icing sugar and egg albumen

First 1/3 of almond mixture folded in.  Mixture should be streaky.  No over mixing!

Piped out and sitting to develop 'feet' before being baked.

All baked up - They are truly pretty little things!

Pretty in Pink seemed the perfect title to this blog and had me asking myself in anyone else reading this remembers the original movie.  I saw it in the theatre during its first run..I am so dating myself.   Duckie, the quirky boy friend, grew up to become Alan on "Two and A Half Men".  Did you know an often asked question of Google is whether Jon Cryer is gay.  Well he is not and is actually on his 2nd wife...well not 'on' on.

Now back to pretty, pink macaroons.  Do you know they taste even more amazing out of the freezer. I had to hide them away from myself as my self control for all things sweet is minimal.  Just remove a couple from the freezer...and yes they froze and thawed beautifully filled with the buttercream, wait just a couple of minutes and enjoy.  You will actually close your eyes as you savour that first bite into the thin layer of crisp macaroon and then you will swoon when your taste buds encounter the raspberry buttercream filling.  If you can limit yourself to a couple at a time the damage to your waistline is negligible...or at least I choose to believe that.  And if I believe, it is so!

Now go ahead make some up and Net Flix 'Pretty In Pink' the next time you are in the baking mood.

All Baked up and Ready to Taste

Macaroons (Very Forgiving) - About 40 sandwiched macaroons

195 grams ground almonds (same as almond flour)
340 grams icing sugar
140 grams egg whites
40 grams fine sugar (granulated sugar that has been through your food processor!)
10 grams Powdered egg whites or Egg Albumen (this helps stabilize your batter)
2-3 drops Food Colouring

Preheat oven to 325F.  Parchment line your baking sheets and set aside.

Sift together the almond flour and icing sugar to remove any lumps.

Whip egg whites until frothy and add in the fine sugar and egg albumen.  Whip until stiff.

Add a few drop of food colouring to the mixture.  It is nice to use colours that compliment your flavours...yellow with lemon filling, brown with chocolate ganache, etc.

Gently fold one-third of the almond mixture into the whipped egg whites using a rubber spatula.  Your mixture should stay streaky like in the photo above.  Add in another third and fold lightly then add the remaining mixture and again fold lightly.

Using a large piping bag and a #12 tip, pipe your batter about 1 inch apart onto the prepared sheets.

Once the baking sheet is full bang firmly several times on the counter to remove air bubbles.  Rotate pan and bang again.  Let unbaked shells sit for about 20 minutes until they look glossy and firm.

Bake for about 11-14 minutes and rotate sheets half way through.  Set your timer so you do not forget to rotate baking pans.

Allow the macaroons to cool completely before filling with whatever your heart desires.  How about Buttercream (any kind), a little Nutella (why not), maybe some lemon curd.  They are so good they can be popped into your mouth with no filling at all.

Remember frozen macaroons are better than an ice cream sandwich!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Heart Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients

Love, affection, caring.  It seems to me we all could use a little more of this in our daily lives.  Even just loving ourselves a tiny bit more.

One of the easiest ways to show you care is to bake and share with a loved one or one you wish to love or one you'd like to pamper or the cute guy you have been creeping or the ...well I think you get my drift.  While grand gestures always make great reality t.v. and fantasies, most of us would kill for just a little display of affection.    The simple act of sharing something you made in the kitchen with another makes both them and us feel good.  It seems to resonate deep within us when we receive a homemade cookie or brownie.  Maybe we remember our moms baking something special for us...maybe it was for our birthdays or for a special occasion.  It doesn't matter whether the finished product was made from scratch or just by adding a cup of water and an egg to a mix, someone cared enough to set aside a little pocket of time to do something special for us.

Even if you were in a situation where you never had anything made specially for you it is interesting to note we still crave this little act of affection and recognize the warm feeling we get inside.

Really, it could be a bunch of flowers, a special CD, anything, just the fact someone took a minute to do something for us can make our day, heck our whole month!  It is one of those simple things we remember.

Butter, Brown Sugar, White Sugar and Eggs all nicely creamed.

Today's simple recipe is for a tasty treat and basically foolproof, easy and delicious chocolate chip cookie.  Make some for yourself just because you can... you deserve something warm and sweet and homemade just as much as the next person or for that special someone.

Cookie Dough ready to bake.

Instead of the chocolate chips add in mini M&M's, white chocolate or dark chocolate chips.  Whatever makes you happy.  I baked them in a heart shaped cake pan until the edges turned light brown.  You can drop by spoonfuls as the recipe suggests or make 1-2 large round cookies.  The dough is easy to form into a ball and pat out lightly.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tip:  You may want  to cut bake on the 2 cups of chocolate add-ins but this is what makes the cookie so great.  Otherwise you just have a cookie base scattered with a few chocolate bits.  Go for it!

About 20 minutes to put together and about 8 minutes to bake.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/4 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, mini M&M's

In medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar.  Add in egg and vanilla and mix well.

Gradually stir in flour mixture until just combined.  Mix in chocolate chips.

Scoop approximately 1 tbsp of dough and place on prepared sheets.  Repeat with remaining dough, placing at least 2 inches apart on sheet to allow for spreading.

Bake in center of oven for approximately 8-10 minutes or until cookies are golden around the edges.

Remove and let cool completely...if you are able!

Dark Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Dark Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Today's offering is simple, sweet and superb.  Oh, and very chocolaty. 

Dark, decadent and delicious!

Need I say more....with just 1/4 cup of flour in the batter they are mostly dark, delicious chocolate, a little sugar, a couple of eggs, some vanilla and a little more chocolate.  Not much more in the way of ingredients.  The most time consuming portion of the recipe is chilling them for about 15-20 minutes before baking.  They are worth the wait!

Melted dark chocolate & butter

Whisked eggs & sugar

Chilled dough ready for baking 

Cookie dough ready to bake

Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Preheat oven to 350F.  Parchment line baking sheet and set aside.

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups good quality dark chocolate

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Melt butter and 1 1/2 cups of chocolate together in microwave and whisk together until smooth.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.  In another bowl stir together eggs and sugar and add in vanilla.

To the slightly cooled chocolate mixture add in the egg mixture and mix well.  Add in flour mixture and stir until combined.  Add in chocolate chips.

Chill dough for about 15-20 minutes.

Scoop dough onto prepared pan and bake for about 7-8 minutes until cookies look slightly cracked on the outside.  Remove from oven.

Options:  You could add in white chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips or even fold in a few nuts.

Toffee

Toffee - Sweet and Buttery!

Today's offering is Toffee.  Sweet, buttery and sprinkled with toasted nuts.

Have you ever had a McIntosh Toffee Bar? This recipe brings back memories of summer days at the cottage. After a trip to McMurray's store for pixie sticks and McIntosh toffee I'd come back to our rented cottage and whack the package of McIntosh toffee, in its red plaid packaging, on the counter and it would break into a variety of different size pieces. Then you would pop these pieces into your mouth and immediately experience the hit of buttery sweet smoothness.  Then you either chomped on the hunks of toffee and had them stick to your teeth or let them last by just melting away in your mouth.

The base of this toffee tastes just like that McIntosh bar.  Add the chocolate layer and a sprinkling of toasted nuts and you have a winner.  One tip though, no matter how tempted DO NOT lick off the hot toffee from the wooden spoon directly from the pot, unless you wish to remove all the skin from your tongue.  As tempting as it is just wait a few minutes to let it cool down enough and then sample the creamy base of this sweet treat.

Note:  You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe.

Toffee

8 ounces dark, semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (or a mix of all three)
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts toasted
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Line a 10-inch square pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

In a heavy saucepan combine butter, sugar, water and salt over a medium heat.  Once butter is melted stir occasionally and bring mixture up to 305F on a candy thermometer.

Watch carefully.  It will take a while to heat up but the temperature will quickly rise from about 270F to 305F very quickly.  Mixture will seem to thicken up and turn a light golden brown.

As soon as mixture hits 305F remove from heat and add in 1 teaspoon vanilla. (Careful it will spit and splash slightly!)

Pour mixture into prepared pan and spread to edges if needed.  Let set for about 45-60 minutes. Once toffee has set melt chocolate and pour over toffee layer and spread.  Sprinkle toasted nuts over top and press down lightly to adhere the nuts.  Put in fridge to set.  Break into pieces and enjoy.

Can be stored for at least a month but I really don't think it will last that long!

Any questions or comments....sweetenuf@bell.net

Gluten-Free Chocolate Bites or 'This Ones for You, Jolene'

Gluten-Free Chocolate Bites - Intense Chocolate Flavour!

Ingredients and Unbaked Chocolate Bites

Tonight's blog is for Jolene, one of my biggest supporters!  Jolene made a request for some gluten-free recipes.  I suggested the coconut macaroons I made a little while ago but alas she is tired of that old standby.  The other go-to option is Rice Krispie squares but they have gluten in them.  Why are they Rice Krispies and not Wheat Krispies then...that's why the company came out with a gluten free version.  Didn't they used to have a commercial asking people what they thought they were made of...Rice...hence the name Rice Krispies.  Not sure why they would need to add gluten...but I'm drifting...again!

So I found a recipe from way back and thought I would give it a try. Somewhere in my memory I recall whipping these up for a friend and having them turn out perfect...but now I am not so sure if that was a memory or just wishful thinking. 

Since there is no gluten in the recipe the batter does not come together the same as when using flour.  One thing I like to mention is to remember that a recipe without flour is not going to taste or have the same mouth feel as something with flour.  What you want to do, in my humble opinion, is make a great tasting item for the person in your life who cannot have gluten.  There are lots of food options for main courses and side dishes but desserts/treats are a little trickier!

Before I give you the recipe let me say I have not done a lot of gluten-free baking so give these a try and judge them for yourself.  They come together quickly and the original recipe says you need to form the dough (more like the chocolate sand) into little balls and press down with a fork to flatten.  Having made these 2 times lately the dough does NOT come together.  So I figured the easiest thing to do was to press the dough into a pan with a removeable bottom.  This seemed to work well and I ended up using 2 pans.  I pressed the dough lightly into the pan and baked it at 325 for about 12-15 minutes.  

There is not a big difference in the appearance of the batter after baking but it does firm up. When I took the pan out of the oven I let it cool then took a knife and cut it up. These still have a crumby or sandy texture but they do give you the hit of intense chocolate so make sure you use a good quality cocoa.

Baked Gluten-Free Chocolate Bites

Preheat oven to 325F.  

1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup Cornstarch
1/2 cup Cocoa
2/3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups rice flour

In large bowl use electric beater to cream butter.  Add sugar and cream until light and fluffy.  Add in vanilla and mix in.

In separate bowl, whisk together cornstarch, cocoa and rice flour.  Add into creamed mixture and blend well.

Mixture will be very granular or sandy.  Make sure to scrap up the bottom of mixing bowl.

Press lightly into tart pans with removeable bottoms and bake in preheated oven for approximately 12-15 minutes.  Mixture will firm up.

While bites are still warm cut into slices or squares with a knife.

Hope you enjoy this recipe and I will certainly explore and test out a few others.  Maybe an English Toffee recipe...no flour or gluten there.

Lemon-Raspberry Buttermilk Pound Cake & Fit is the New Skinny

Lemon-Raspberry Buttermilk Pound Cake

Well another summer has left and I find the day after Labour Day to be more of a new year and goal setting time of the year than January 1st.  So to accompany the delicious recipe of Lemon-Raspberry Buttermilk Pound Cake are my musings on embracing ourselves and the need to stop 'buying' into the fit is the new skinny, you are not worthy unless you have the newest, most expensive purse (you know first a Coach bag, then a Michael Kors bag and now a Kate Spade bag) and believing that not having a wrinkle, stretch mark or acne scar is normal...especially at over 40!!

Like many of you I have become a Pinner and I enjoy different sites with fitness and health ideas but I keep seeing these ridiculously impossible images of ripped abs and 10% body fat on woman with the tag line 'Fit is the new Skinny'.  While it is great to be fit and healthy a woman's healthy body fat is much higher than the 8-10% needed to show off 6-pack and 8-pack abs.  We need this to give us boobs and hips and to make and carry babies.  We are being convinced by dieting to extremes and working out like crazy or even only working out for 20 minutes doing HIIT workouts we will be healthier and fitter and better.  I think that is the key...we are somehow convinced we will be better (because for some reason we often feel we are not good enough) and therefore more popular and life will be easy and richer...both emotionally and financially. 

Oh and what about all those unlined faces in ads for everything else.  Do you believe buying the perfect outfit and the best shoes will make you better or somehow change you.  Well me too!!  But strangely enough although I love my new makeup it did not change my features and transform me into Christie Brinkley or Christy Turlington.  My makeup plus my Weight Watchers dinner did not bring Hugh Jackman or Daniel Craig to my door.  And I didn't get a great promotion earning way more money.  Isn't that the hidden message we are constantly being sent and unfortunately believing.  Do this, buy this, and you too will be transformed.

Now don't get me wrong, I love a new pair of shoes as much as the next girl (well probably quite a bit more actually if you look in my closet) and there is nothing like a new lipstick to push away a funk but let's start this new season with focusing on what we have already and stop spending our precious time worrying about things we really cannot change.

I think this should be the Embrace Myself season.  Every wrinkle, sun spot, scar, etc. is the result of living, loving, and all the challenges and experiences that go along with that.  I have laugh lines and a few crying lines as well! Happiness and heartaches in life, successful and unsuccessful relationships with friends, family and husbands, etc. plus crappy jobs, great jobs, and more, are what make us and shape us.  I have a few physical scars from illness but I survived and am healthy.  How many people can say that!  I have a few body battle marks on account of 2 healthy children.  The frown lines between my eyes have been there forever and my laugh lines get a little deeper each year. But really, how great are all these things.  I have a great job, good friends and family, have been able to spend some holiday time away with friends and family, pay my bills, get around unassisted and enjoy the little things like take-out coffee and reality t.v.  Isn't this what having a good life is really about.

Yes I do wish I was 10 pounds thinner and could wear skinny jeans but deep down I know this is not the magic formula to happiness.  But, hey, I used to wish I had hair like Farrah Fawcett, and if I only my hair would go like hers than I to would be amazing...alas not so!!

One of the things that makes me happy is baking and now blogging!  So embrace your uniqueness (they are no longer shortcomings or flaws they are your unique bits) and give my Lemon-Raspberry Pound cake a try.  Enjoy it with a glass of milk, cup of coffee or tea and make a list ONLY of your great and awesome bits.

Lemon-Raspberry Pound Cake

Pint raspberry
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar

Mix above ingredients together in small sauce pan and bring to a boil for about 5-8 minutes until reduced and sugar has dissolved.  Cool and then press through sieve to remove seeds.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 325F.  Grease loaf pan.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
Zest of 1 lemon

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  
In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add in sugar and beat well.  Scrape down sides and bottom of bow.  Add in eggs one at a time and beat after each.

Add in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions.  Fold in lemon zest and cooled raspberry sauce.

Spread evenly into prepared loaf pan and bake at 325F for approximately 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.

Glaze with a mixture of lemon juice and icing sugar if desired.

Banana Bread - No Mixer Required

Banana Bread

Ripe bananas on the counter or in the freezer.  Mash up 2-3 of them and grab a couple of bowls, a whisk and spatula and grease a loaf pan and in minutes you will have a Banana Bread ready to bake with the basic baking ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard.

To counteract all the baking I have been doing I have committed to the 30-day squat challenge I found on Pinterest.  It says not to jump right in and start anywhere in the middle but I must say I have decided to just focus on certain days, specifically days 4, 8, 12 & 16, I just keep repeating them again and again and again!  Check it out, I think you will like these days as well.  Have a piece of banana bread before and after your squat workout.  You know, food equals fuel!

Today's recipe is from Baking Unplugged and all the recipes are made without any electrical devices, no mixers or food processors.  So this is great if you are at the cottage or have kids that want to bake and you haven't got or don't wish to pull out you stand mixer since it is buried in behind the coffee grinder and food processor in the cupboard.

So before you get started with the original recipe in my version I omitted the lemon zest and the coconut and instead I mixed some pecans and dark chocolate chips and a little bit of cinnamon together and sprinkled it over the tops of the loaves before baking.  Plus I did mix a few dark chocolate chips into the batter.  Add in what you like or leave it plain but just go ahead and mix one up.

If your loaf is baking up around the edges but staying very wet in the centre tent a piece of foil and just lay over top of your loaf.  This will help stop the edges from overbaking while allowing the bread to bake right through.

Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray 1 loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans and set aside.

1 1/4 cups mashed banana

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1/4 cup buttermilk or sour cream

1 Tbs grated lemon zest

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup toasted pecans

Whisk together the mashed bananas, sugar, oil, eggs, buttermilk or sour cream and lemon zest until reasonably light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined.

Dump the flour mixture into the wet mixture and sprinkle the coconut and pecans over the top of the flour.  Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the batter just barely comes together.

Scrape batter into the prepared loaf pan and rap on counter to level.

Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.

Cool slightly and remove from loaf pan.  

Really, is there any excuse not to make this up?