Happy Birthday, jonesing for… !

One year ago today I started my blog and it’s been nothing but fun since.  This whole thing began after encouragement from friends since I enjoyed taking pictures of whatever I was cooking, and liked typing up a few words about it as well. I’ve had so much fun sharing my love of cooking and recipes, and nothing makes me happier than hearing my friends and total strangers have been inspired to cook from recipes I post.

And I have something even bigger to celebrate than my blog’s anniversary. I’m so excited to announce I’ve just accepted a position as the new Test Kitchen Assistant for a national food magazine! I’ll be testing recipes, assisting food styling, grocery shopping, and working in the test kitchen for a living – a.k.a. my dream job! Words cannot express how excited and blessed I feel to be able to do what I love for a living as young as I am. Getting out from behind a desk and back into the kitchen means the world to me, so now it’s really time to celebrate!

So to celebrate, I wanted to bake a cake – a very special cake. In a way, this entire post, blog, and really my career, is dedicated to my oldest sister, DeAnna. She honestly is the biggest reason I pursued cooking – admiring her life as a pastry chef when she was younger and always being enchanted with whatever she was baking or making. This bundt cake is one of the earliest food memories I have of being impressed with food, thinking the black and white drizzle was so fancy, the cake shape so odd, the entire thing just being special. So I wanted to go back to my roots with this one.

Unfortunately neither D nor my mom could find the recipe. They both tore their kitchens apart looking for it to no avail, which seemed almost poetic in a way. I got to just create my own version, which is exactly what I like to do here. So I took a simple chocolate bundt cake recipe and oomphed it up, adding coffee and buttermilk, using a chocolate ganache drizzle instead of melted semi-sweet chips, and I had to stay true to the white chocolate drizzle – even though I’m not a huge fan, you can’t get that stunning white color with anything else, and since the cake isn’t overly sweet, it balances out.

So thank you to my readers, family, and friends for a wonderful year! I can’t wait to see what this next year has in store!

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Black and White Bundt Cake

Makes at least 16 servings (depending on how you slice it).

Based on my sister’s recipe with froufrou flourish from Food & Wine.

Ingredients

• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped and separated (I really indulged and used Callebaut “Refined” semi-sweet, which is to die for)
• ¾ cup canola oil
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• 1 extra-large egg plus 1 egg white
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup strongly brewed fresh coffee, cooled (the bolder the better)
• 1 cup reduced fat buttermilk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• ½ tablespoon corn syrup
• ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 ounces white chocolate (I usually loathe white chocolate but Callebaut’s white is actually nice and mild and not too sweet, so I recommend it)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 365° F. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan or your microwave, melt 2 ounces of the chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour the chocolate into a medium bowl and let cool until there’s no longer steam rising from it. Whisk in the oil and sugar until smooth, then whisk in the egg and egg white.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture along with ½ cup of the coffee and ½ cup of the buttermilk; whisk until smooth. Add the remaining dry ingredients, coffee and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cake cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out and let cool completely.
5. While the cake cools, prepare the ganache. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer, but don’t scald it. In a heatproof bowl, combine the remaining 3 ounces of chopped chocolate with the corn syrup and butter. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let the ganache glaze cool until thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes (don’t be afraid to pop it in the fridge for a few minutes if your kitchen is slightly warm).
6. Drizzle the ganache over the cooled cake. Let the cake stand until the glaze is set, at least 30 minutes, before adding the white drizzle.
7. In a double boiler, melt the white chocolate until smooth and glossy. I do not recommend doing this in the microwave because white chocolate burns very easily and doesn’t melt like real chocolate (because it isn’t)! Drizzle over the cake artfully and serve slices with a huge glass of cold milk (and maybe a glass of champagne!).

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cake, chocolate, dessert, favorite, high altitude, indulge

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My last few baking adventures have definitely not been swimsuit-season minded, to say the least. Chocolate cake and lemon bars and snickerdoodles… butter was definitely a theme these past few weeks. Thankfully since my gym is within walking distance of my apartment it hasn’t become an issue… yet. But there’s nothing wrong with nipping things in the bud and making a healthy(er) sweet treat once in awhile.

When I found this recipe I thought “Banana and chocolate… low fat? Sign me up!” yet I was still dubious. So many things claim to be delicious and satisfying yet healthy, and mostly fail. Especially baked sweets. Even as I ate the batter thinking “Wow, this is good…’ I still doubted the outcome. But good God almighty was I proven wrong with these muffins. They’re not only some of the tastiest muffins I’ve ever tried period, they really do only have 165 calories a muffin! I refused to believe it until I did the math myself because they are just. that. good.

The moistness is out of control with the bananas, the sweetness level is just right but not overpowering, and by cleverly using mini morsels and sprinkling them over only the top of the muffins, you get that delicious bit of chocolate, without adding the extra calories. No stand mixer required, too! They really are almost too good to be true…

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Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 12 muffins.

I’ve adjusted for altitude here in my version, so feel free to use the original below.

Based on the recipe from RecipeGirl.

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups mashed ripe banana
• 2/3 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons nonfat yogurt
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup whole grain oat flour (if you can’t find oat flour or it’s expensive, just grind up some oats until they’re fine like flour)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 375 °F with rack set in center of oven. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups and then spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2.) In a large mixing bowl, mix together the bananas, honey, yogurt, applesauce, egg whites, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wheat flour, oat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, being sure to not overstir.

3.) Pour batter into muffin cups evenly and then sprinkle the ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips over all 12 muffins (not ¼ cup per muffin!). Bake 12-16 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes on a cooling rack and then remove the muffins from the pan to cool completely.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: baking, chocolate, healthy rethink, high altitude, sweet

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“If you’re lucky enough to be Irish, you’re lucky enough.”

With St. Patrick’s Day here, I knew I wanted to bake something to celebrate one of my favorite cultures. I was kicking myself a bit since I previously made cupcakes which are, well, practically the most perfect Irish stereotypical culture themed dessert, but thankfully, this fit the bill quite well.

Drinking whiskey straight isn’t something I do often, but cooking with it is phenomenal. It makes everything aromatic, malty, and just richer. Combined with coffee and chocolate, this cake is out-of-this-world in the flavor levels. Topped with more coffee-whiskey glaze, these are borderline Paula Deen level indulgent, but hey, it’s a holiday which automatically means indulging. Which makes it okay…. right?

A holy triumvirate.

MY WALNUTS!

A bit crackly, but the icing covers all sins.

—

Irish Coffee Sheet Cake

Based on the recipe from BHG.

This obviously isn’t ‘authentic’ sheet cake since it’s baked in a 9×13 pan and is a little deeper, but I didn’t have a half-sheet jelly roll pan on hand. So just go with it!

Makes 24 pieces.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, at room temperature (save the wrappers to grease the dish)
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• a dash of salt
• ½ cup whole milk
• ½ cup Jameson (or good Irish whiskey)
• 1½ tablespoons Espresso powder
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

For the glaze:

• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon Jameson (or good Irish whiskey)
• 1¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tablespoons brewed coffee
• ½ teaspoon espresso powder

Optional: More chopped walnuts for sprinkling.

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 350º F with rack set in center of oven. Butter or spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray, line with a sheet of parchment paper with edges hanging over, and set aside.

2.) In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir together the granulated sugar, butter, ½ cup cocoa powder, and espresso powder until smooth and combined. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until just combined.

3.) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda, and set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, stir together the milk and ½ cup whiskey.

4.) Working in alternating batches, slowly add the flour and whiskey mixtures to the chocolate mixture, beating by hand after each. Fold in the nuts once everything is combined and pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean (no clinging batter). Set aside to cool completely on a wire rack.

5.) Prepare the glaze. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, whiskey, vanilla extract, and coffee.

6.) Once the cake cools, remove the parchment and cut the cake into squares first (the glaze dries hard so it will look nicer if you cut first then glaze). Drizzle the glaze all over them and topped with more chopped walnuts, if desired. Enjoy with more Irish booze of your choice (Guinness, Jameson, or both).

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: chocolate, dessert, holiday, indulge, sweet

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I feel like I write this a lot on here, but these were a going-away treat for another coworker who left to pursue other ventures. Unlike most of my former coworkers however, Robbie left to pursue something extra awesome: becoming a full-time chocolatier. I found out only in the past couple months after he gave me a sample of his very own single origin bean-to-bar formula, which was delicious and just so, well, cool. People don’t realize just how insanely labor intensive it is to create chocolate – let alone in an apartment kitchen, but Robbie outlines it quite well on his blog, Chocolate Baar.

Baking for someone who creates their own chocolate… well, it’s a little intimidating. You can go two routes – try to be über impressive and froufrou going over the top, or celebrating something simple and classic. Robbie said his favorite things were simple treats, like chocolate chip cookies, so I knew classic was the way to go. And a craving for marshmallow squares sealed the deal.

I jazzed these up by using really, really good chocolate (sadly not Robbie’s – but Askinosie has the same eco-conscious single-origin mindset, which is wonderful) and playing with salty-sweet by sprinkling chopped salted cashews and honey roasted peanuts on top. So I suppose you could say I combined the two previously mentioned categories. It’s a classic simple dessert in a frilly dress, which honestly, are the best kind of treats (in my opinion).

Puffed rice.

Mallows!

Sticky sweet.

CHOCOLATE.

Honey roasted peanuts, pre-chop.

This plate was from Turkey, 1963.

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Salty Sweet Marshmallow Squares

Makes one 9×13 baking dish full (cut into however many you like!)

This is a fun treat to customize and play with, so just add your own spin! (Like say, stirring peanut butter into the cereal mix before putting it into the pan or sprinkling cocoa nibs over the top.. oooh..)

Ingredients

• 5½ cups puffed rice cereal
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the dish
• 5 cups mini marshmallows (or 1 jar marshmallow fluff)
• 7-8 ounces very good semi-sweet chocolate (65% or higher, I like Askinosie’s San Jose Del Tambo 70% bar)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup salted cashews, chopped fine
• ½ cup honey roasted peanuts, chopped fine

Directions

1.) Butter a 9×13″ baking dish and set aside.

2.) Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, add the marshmallows and stir occasionally until dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the cereal. Once eveyrthing is mixed together, pour into the prepared dish. Using either a buttered rubber scraper or your hands which have been sprayed with non-stick spray, pat the marshmallow mixture down into the dish evenly.  Let cool to room temperature (at least 2 hours) on a cooling rack.

3.) Once cooled, prepare the topping. Melt the chocolate and cream either in a pot on the stove or in the microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring in between. Once the chocolate is silky smooth, drizzle over the marshmallow squares. Sprinkle with prepared chopped nuts and then let sit for a few hours in the fridge until the chocolate sets. Bring to room temperature and then cut into however many servings you like.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: chocolate, dessert, sweet

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I love Valentine’s Day. As my friend Beth put it the other day, “I don’t care what my romantic situation ever looks like, I will forever get 4th-grade decorate-a-shoebox-for-your-valentines excited for Valentines Day,” and I have to agree. Cards and flowers and chocolate and everything in special boxes and packaging… to me, Valentine’s Day is about love – not romance. It’s a day set aside to appreciate those you love most, regardless if they’re your best friend, spouse, significant other, relative, etc. It’s just an opportunity to show you care, if you want to.

I send cards to those closest to me, give out flowers, and of course, make special treats. Originally I wanted to attempt strawberry macarons for this holiday, but since I’m moving at the end of the month (full oven! fridge! dishwasher in my new place! – HOORAY!) with a better oven in the future, I decided to postpone. These popped up in my daily cookie newsletter from Martha Stewart and sounded delish. Plus I had an entire container of malt powder sans one tablespoon begging to be used.

I had fun renaming these with a little  dry humor knowing a lot of my friends and peers roll their eyes at Valentine’s Day and the entire stigma of it, but it really does fit. The cookies are rich and dark, with such a great added pungent flavor from the malt, and the filling is just so divine. Like drinking a chocolate malt, only in frosting form. How can you eat that and not feel the love?

<3

Frosting.

Open hearts.

Did I mention how excited I am to have a dishwasher again?

Sprinkles.

All you need is love.

—

Chocolate Malt ‘Hearts of Darkness’

Makes 2 dozen sandwich cookies.

Based on the recipe by Martha Stewart.

I obviously made sandwich cookies here, but you could easily just make 48 cookies, frost them with the filling, and then decorate them with awesome, obnoxious heart sprinkles or fun nonpareils of your choice. Just enjoy it.

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup plain malted milk powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1¾ cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons hot water

For the filling:

• 5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• ½ cup plain malted milk powder
• 2 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons half & half
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

For the cookies:

1.)   Preheat oven to 350° F with the rack set in the center. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2.)   In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3.)   With the mixer running on low, add the egg, sour cream, and hot water. Reduce speed to lowest and add the dry ingredients.

4.)  Scoop a heaping ½ tablespoon of batter and plop onto prepared baking sheet. Be sure you give ample space (at least 2 inches) in between each cookie. Bake until flattened and firm, but not crisp – about 9-10 minutes.

5.)  Cool for a few minutes on the pan, and then using a small, heart-shaped cookie cutter, press onto the cookies. Discard the scraps (unless you’re feeling super ambitious and then make cake pops with them) and let cool completely.

For the filling:

1.)   In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring until everything is incorporated. Let cool to room temperature.

2.)   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cup of malted milk powder and cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the half & half, chocolate mixture, and vanilla. Refrigerate covered until set, about 30 minutes. Beat again on high until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

To assemble the cookies:

1.)  Spread a heaping ½ tablespoon filling on the bottom of one cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat. Cookies can be refrigerated between layers of parchment in airtight containers up to 3 days.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: chocolate, cookies, indulge

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