Better Chocolate Batters

Whether you're making cake, brownies, or other chocolate desserts from scratch or from a box, here are some handy ingredients that can help you intensify that luscious chocolate flavor:

* Vanilla extract.   Add 1 to 2 tsp. to a chocolate cake batter, 1/2 to 1 tsp to brownie batter, and a few drops in anything chocolate... even a cup of hot cocoa.

*Almond extract.  If you're not a fan of vanilla, or just want something a little more exotic, almond extract is another great addition to chocolate recipes.  Since it's more potent than vanilla, just 1/2 tsp or so will do the trick.  Or, you can do as I often do, and simply use a combination of both vanilla and almond, in proportions to your liking.

*Cinnamon.  A dash or two of cinnamon is a great accent to chocolate... just enough to bring out the chocolate flavor without actually tasting like cinnamon.

*Buttermilk.  Use this in place of the water or milk in your recipe.  If you don't have it, throw in a heaping tablespoon full of sour cream or yogurt along with the water or milk.  No sour cream, either?  Use a tsp. of white vinegar.

*Coffee.  Use strong black coffee in place of the water in your chocolate recipe, or dissolve a tablespoon or so of instant coffee granules in the liquid you're using, before you add it to the batter.  Coffee and chocolate flavors marry quite beautifully, and each brings out the better qualities of the other.

*Salt.  Yep, salt.  A little dash of salt goes a long way in accentuating the flavor of chocolate.  Not enough to be salty... just a sprinkle will do for small amount of batter, beverage, etc.

*More chocolate.  This one may seem obvious. ;)  Based on a recipe to fill a 13x9 in. pan, try any or all the following chocolate additions--
           ~1 cup mini chocolate chips or grated chocolate of your choice
           ~a few squirts or drizzles of your favorite chocolate syrup or fudge sauce
           ~2 tbsp. cocoa powder (regular or dutch-process)

Experiment with these additions, using just one or combinations of your favorites...  the chocolate lovers in your life will thank you! :)

Quick and Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe was a family favorite when I was growing up... I'm not sure where my mother first learned of it, but she made it often and we all loved it.  Now, with a few adjustments, I make it for my family at least once a month - we still love it! :)

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Prep/cook time: approximately 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb macaroni (or small pasta variety of your choice)
16 ounces cubed or shredded cheddar cheese (or combination of your favorite cheeses)
2 small cans of condensed mushroom soup
4 tbsp butter

Preparation:
Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Meanwhile, combine cheese, soup, and butter in a 2-qt. pot.  Cook cheese mixture over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth.  Drain macaroni when tender, and pour macaroni into a large casserole dish.  Pour approximately 3/4 of the cheese mixture over the macaroni and gently stir until the pasta is coated.  Adjust the amount of cheese sauce to your taste.  And there you have it - quick, creamy, cheesy macaroni and cheese, in just about the amount of time it takes to make it from a box. :)
Remaining cheese sauce may be chilled, and then spread on crackers as is, or gently warmed and served over broccoli for a tasty side dish later in the week.
Serves 4-6

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, cont. - Baking Tips

Now, what should you know before you bake that fantastic cookie batter (see last post)...?

1) Use parchment paper or a silicone sheet on top of your cookie sheet. This goes for basically all cookies you may ever want to make. The majority of cookie recipes call for ungreased sheets, and the parchment or silicone will prevent sticking, and help the bottoms of your cookies be nice and lightly golden brown, not burned, while the rest of your cookie is perfectly cooked. Some cookie recipes call for greased sheets, but this is usually unnecessary with parchment paper. If I don't have parchment paper in the house, I don't make cookies - end of story. It's not worth it. :)



2) Be sure to give your cookies the amount of space in between them specified by the recipe. This allows them all to bake evenly, and since they will spread just a little bit, you won't risk them running into each other.



3) Check the cookies at least 2 minutes before the minimum time called for in the recipe. If they aren't done, put them in for another minute, and check again. Chocolate chip cookies should be a light-to-medium golden brown on the bottom, and a very light golden on the edges/tops. They shouldn't look wet, but they should still be a little soft. They will set more firmly as they cool. If you overcook them, they will still taste good, but they won't be those bundles of chewy, chocolatey goodness that you're probably hoping to achieve. :)



4) Remove from sheets promptly and place on a wire rack to cool. If you leave them on the hot baking sheets, they will overcook and lose their chewiness.



5) And now, the tip that goes for any cookie recipe, ever: FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. This may sound obvious, but I know plenty of people who wonder why their recipes don't turn out, when the reason is often is because they may have followed the directions in terms of amounts of ingredients, but otherwise they just throw everything together, stir it up, and bake it. Yes, sometimes you can take shortcuts, but knowing when you can do that and still get your desired results takes practice and experience. Directions such as "cream butter and sugar until fluffy" or "add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition," etc., are included in the recipe for a reason. They will make a difference in the end product. Take my word on this one. Read the directions - and then follow them. :) You might be surprised at just how excellently your baking turns out! :)
Enjoy those cookies!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies - Batter tricks

So what is the trick to getting nice, chewy chip cookies that hold their shape?  Well, there's a few little tricks I've learned along the way that you can use with your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe (or for starters, you can use the Tollhouse recipe on the back of Nestle chocolate chips):

1) Use room temperature or softened butter.  If you want your cookies to hold their beautiful shape, don't melt the butter - just let it be softened. Often, this is "room temperature," but if your room temperature is only 60 (as it often is at my house during the winter) then you will need to gently soften it, either in the microwave on low power, checking frequently, or near a place that is warmer than the rest of the room (wood stove, near the oven while something else is baking - not too close, though! - etc.)


Note: Most recipes call for part butter and part shortening.  You can use part shortening if you wish, but if you are concerned about trans fats, use one of the following alternatives to Crisco-type shortening--
            *Lard (do NOT use lard that has hydrogenated lard added in)
            *Organic virgin coconut oil
            *Organic palm oil (also sold as all-natural, non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening)
            *Or, just use all butter in place of the shortening called for in the recipe.  Vegetable shortening does contribute to chewiness, but the following tips will still give you chewy cookies regardless of whether you use all butter or not.

2) Replace part of the white sugar in the recipe with more brown sugar.
             *Most single-batch recipes call for 3/4 cup EACH of brown and white sugar.  I use 1 cup of brown sugar, and    1/2 cup of white sugar.  It's still 1 1/2 cups of sugar total, but brown sugar acts more as a humectant, to help hold the moisture (and therefore chewiness) in the cookies.

3) CREAM THE BUTTER AND SUGAR ON LOW SPEED UNTIL FLUFFY.  I can't emphasize this step strongly enough.  Yes, it's such an easy step to skip, or at least to be stingy with... but you don't want to do that if you're looking for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. :)  You're looking to achieve a consistency similar to whipped cream, which is also another reason why you want that butter softened, but not melted.  How do you know when it's ready? 
           *Light, fluffy consistency that is almost white in color
           *Little to no graininess left from the sugar
Yes, this takes a long time - usually about 10 minutes with a stand mixer on the lowest, or second lowest, setting.  I got a stand mixer a few years ago and it has been SUCH a help with this step, because standing there that long with a hand mixer in one hand and a baby in the other arm was a real challenge - but worth it for those perfect cookies nonetheless. :)  Why low speed?  ...Because the sugar granules do a better job of breaking down the fat and adding air to the mixture if they aren't rushed into it. :)

*Again, use your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with these tips, but please do use decent-quality chocolate chips if you can.  Ghirardelli makes fantastic chips (especially the double chocolate or bittersweet varieties) but you don't need to go that fancy... Nestle (esp the mini chips, which spread nicely throughout the batter) or Hershey's Special Dark are also excellent choices.

Coming soon: Tips for baking that yummy dough!