Chobani Black Cherry Brownies

(from Chobani)

Time for a Joef recipe, folks (generally, when there's dessert involved, or baking, it's all Joef; he is simply way better at this whole following a precise recipe thing than I am)! On one of our first trips to the grocery store in Berkeley (oh yeah, we moved! It's awesome here!!), we were picking out yogurt, and Joef spotted a recipe for brownies on the back of a Chobani yogurt container. I generally don't get that enthused about desserts, so I reluctantly said yes, let's do it, but you're doing all the baking! Joef happily took up the mantle.

And OhMyGod, am I glad he did. I can't tell you how delicious these are! I mean, I can - they are SO delicious! Moist, flavorful...just, wow. I've heard some of my baking friends talk about using yogurt in their cooking, and now I get it. The fact that it's Greek yogurt adds just that hint of tartness that keeps it from being too, too sweet. Oh man. I want these again.

Here's the recipe, straight off the container:
1 cup black cherry Chobani non-fat Greek yogurt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 10oz bag semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk the Chobani, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Melt the chocolate chips with the butter and let it cool, then whisk it into the Chobani mixture. Last, stir in the flour and salt. Grease an 8-inch baking dish and pour in the brownie mix. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Hotcakes (Naga Jolokia Chocolate Cupcakes)

(adapted...heavily...from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)

Joef's passion for spicy food knows no boundaries. Entrees, mixed drinks, and now desserts. Well, I suppose we broke the dessert barrier with Naga Jolokia hot fudge. But now we've increased our repertoire to include cupcakes, Joef's own creation.

I had to persuade Joef not to bring these as a surprise to a dinner party - all participants were fully warned about the heat factor before indulging. Which is a good thing, because these are really, really spicy. They pack a punch. There is something about Naga Jolokia - a smokiness - that makes them go very well with chocolate. So, while Martha would undoubtedly not approve, they were really yummy, too. Plus, Joef is a way better baker than I am. It's in his blood. I just don't have the patience for the accuracy required.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes (makes 18)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp Naga Jolokia powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup warm water

Preheat your oven to 350, and line standard muffin tins with paper liners. With an electric mixer on medium, whisk together all the dry ingredients - flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and Naga Jolokia. Do not breathe the mixture in - it'll burn. Reduce speed on your mixer to low, then add eggs, water, buttermilk, oil, extract, and water. Beat until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through cooking time, about 20 minutes (or until a piece of spaghetti inserted into the centers comes out clean). Transfer to wire racks to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove cupcakes from the tins and let them cook completely before topping with frosting (see below).

Fluffy Vanilla Frosting (makes about 4 cups, way more than you need)
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

With an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides. After every two additions, raise the speed to high and beat 10 seconds to aerate the frosting, then return to medium. This process should take about 5 minutes, and the frosting should be very light and fluffy.

Add the vanilla and beat until frosting is smooth. Bring to room temp before using, then beat on low speed until smooth again for about 5 minutes.

Chocolate Lava Cake

(from...sigh...Woman's Day)

This is how much I love my husband: I, against my better judgment, bought a copy of Woman's Day magazine because it had a picture of a chocolate lava cake on the cover ("We *heart* this 15-minute warm chocolate dessert!") and it seemed like he might die of privation if we didn't go home and make it immediately. And yes, yes, the cake was worth the obnoxious magazine purchase.

This is the second time I've made these, and I will say there is one thing I can't figure out. The recipe says you're supposed to take the ramekins out of the oven, let them sit for under a minute, and then flip them over to let the cake drop out. Number one, those things are baking-hot and it's not easy to maneuver a ramekin with giant oven mitts on. Number two, I just can't get them to pop out all nice and pretty. Some of the cake inevitably gets left behind in the ramekin. Maybe if I let it sit in there longer. In any case, I gave up and opted for just serving it right in the ramekin. Now, this means you can't see the melty, molten chocolate center (it's there, I tell you!), but hey. Use your imagination.

For two mini-cakes:
4 tbsp unsalted butter (gasp), plus more for the ramekins
1 tbsp flour, plus more for the ramekins
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (these are a few of my favorite thiiiiiings...)
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Heat oven to 450. Butter two 6 oz ramekins and dust the insides with flour.

Place the butter and chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high in 20-second intervals, stirring after each, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg and sugar in a medium bowl until thick and lighter in color, about 1 minute. Add the melted chocolate and flour and beat until combined and smooth.

Divide the batter between the two ramekins, and bake until the edges are set, about 8-10 minutes. (Here's where it gets...difficult.) Let stand for 15 seconds. Run a knife around the edge, then invert each cake onto a plate (if you figure this out, tell me; otherwise, just eat it out of the ramekin). Dust with confectioner's sugar if you have it, and garnish with mint if you just happened to have made mint juleps.

Chocolate-Spice Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Glaze

(from Martha Stewart's "Cupcakes")

It feels like ages since I've made cupcakes! These would be fantastic for Christmas - they have that spice cookie taste and smell (hmm, probably because they use the same spices). And they were great for late March, too! I picked these because I shockingly had nearly all the ingredients in the house.

I can't get enough of this frosting, too. It's so, so good. Messy and chocolate-y and just perfect. Easy to make, too.

If you're Martha Stewart and you have access to things like candied ginger, you could top these with that and make 'em even better.

CUPCAKES (makes 12)
5 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp, plus more for cupcake tin
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for cupcake tin
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup boiling water
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup unsulfured molasses
Chocolate ganache glaze (below)

Preheat the oven to 350. Brush a muffin/cupcake tin with butter, then dust with cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Stir baking soda into the boiling water.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

With an electric mixer on medium-high, combine the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the molasses and the baking soda water and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour mixture, beating until well-combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cups of the tin, filling each about halfway. Bake, rotating the tin halfway through, about 20 minutes. (While cooking, make the ganache glaze.)

Remove from oven and cool for about 15 minutes. Remove from the tin and let cool completely before spooning the ganache glaze over each cupcake. Enjoy memories of Christmas past!

CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp light corn syrup

Place chocolate in a small saucepan or heatproof bowl.

Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate. Let it stand without stirring until the chocolate begins to melt.

Use a flexible spatula to gently stir the chocolate and cream together until totally combined. It helps to begin near the center of the bowl and slowly work your way out. Don't overstir. Will be smooth and glossy.

HOT Fudge (with Indian Ghost Pepper)

Ah, the quest for the elusive Indian Ghost Pepper. Last week, Joef and I were visiting our friends Ali and Patrick in Boston. We found ourselves at a local spice shop, where Joef asked if they sold Indian Ghost Pepper. The reply: "Yes, we do." (Joef's heart leaps.) "But we don't have it today." (Joef's heart falls.) "We usually have it every day." (Joef's heart falls further, and he proceeds to pout for the next few hours.)

This past weekend in New York, we were taken to another spice shop - and this time, we called ahead. Yes, indeed, they could supply Indian Ghost Pepper. And so we came to possess a probably lethal quantity of this spice, which, you see, is generally recognized as the hottest chili in the world. And now Joef can be happy again.

Then it came to what we might actually do with this stuff, and Joef's sister had the rather brilliant idea of adding it to hot fudge. Joef's mom, Betty, whipped up a batch of her unbeatable hot fudge sauce - half made with ghost pepper powder, and another half made with raspberry flavoring for the more sane among us.

Alright, so - was it good? Joef loved it. I have to admit that it was a really nice combination of flavors, the sweet and the smoky-spicy. I also have to admit that it had a semi-numbing effect on my mouth, and yes - it's crazy spicy - and yes, I just had a taste. But we did what we set out to do, and I can now say that I've truly had hot fudge.

Betty's recipe:
1 cup white sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder (like Hershey's)
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp white caro syrup/corn syrup
Half-and-half - enough to make kind of a chocolate "soup" - Maybe 1/2 cup
1 tbsp butter
Flavoring of choice:
-1 tsp vanilla, or
-1 tsp raspberry flavoring, or
-Dash of Indian Ghost Pepper (which was quite spicy - adjust to taste)

Combine all ingredients except the butter and flavoring in a small pot. Bring to a boil while stirring. Cook until chocolate will completely coat a metal spoon - dip a spoon in, and if it comes out patchy, keep cooking until it coats the spoon. Remove from heat and add butter and flavoring of choice. Let the butter melt, then stir just enough to combine (stir too much, and it'll get grainy and loose the right consistency). Serve over ice cream!

(UPDATE: As of 12/3/2010, Naga Jolokia has been replaced by the Naga Viper chili pepper as the hottest in the world. But when we made this, Naga Jolokia reigned supreme!)

Devil's Food Cupcakes

(from Martha Stewart's "Cupcakes")

I think - no, I know - this was the first time I had cupcakes (by choice) on my birthday. What is this brave new world? The only catch with these was that the icing just didn't come out as planned at all. I mean, it was gooey and delicious, but something must've gone wrong somewhere, because it didn't look like cupcake icing. I'd recommend the icing I used for the Devil's Food Chocolate Layer Cake.

(Makes 12 cupcakes - for easier measurements, and more cupcakes, double the amounts below)
3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/8 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
5/8 tsp coarse salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/8 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1/2 tbsp plus 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream, room temp
(Plus frosting)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

2. Melt the butter with the sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Turn your electric mixer to medium-low speed and beat until mixture is cooled. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating until just combined after each addition.

3. Divide the batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through cooking. At about 20 minutes, use a piece of spaghetti to test if the cupcakes are done by inserting it into a cupcake and seeing if it comes out clean.

4. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool before spreading cupcakes with frosting.

Black Forest Cupcakes

(from "Martha Stewart's (omg) Cupcakes")

Another first for me (cupcakes) and another embarrassing retraction: yes, I like cupcakes now. Well, at least these cupcakes. And I still don't like the ones you get from the grocery store. But these - yes, these are delicious.

(Also, I went blog-wild today - don't miss the two posts below this one, mint juleps and oysters on the half shell!)

Makes 12 cupcakes (I halved the recipe in the book and it worked fine).

CUPCAKES
1 1/16 unsalted butter (1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp), plus more for tins
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for tins
1 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/16 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 large eggs (that was NOT easy)
3/8 cup sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
12 oz
2 tbsp cherry or blackberry-flavored brandy
Pastry cream (see below)
Chocolate ganache glaze (see below)

1. Preheat over to 350. Rub butter inside the muffin tins, then lightly dust with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess.

2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, mix the butter and the granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the brown sugar and combine with the mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until they're incorporated into the mixture. Mix in the sour cream. Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour mixture (above) in three batches, alternating with two batches of buttermilk, mixing until just combined after each addition. Your batter is done.

4. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through. (At this point you can start on the pastry cream and the chocolate ganache, below.) Tops should be firm to the touch, and a piece of spaghetti inserted in the top should come out clean - about 20 minutes. Take the tin out of the over and let cupcakes cool completely before removing from the tin (continuing to work on your pastry cream and ganache).

5. As the cupcakes cool, reserve 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp of the cherry juice, and combine with the brandy. Cut each cherry in half. When the pastry cream and ganache are done, use a serrated knife to gently (sawing motion) split the cupcakes in half. Brush both cut sides with the cherry-brandy mixture, then brush the tops. Arrange the halved cherries over the cupcake bottoms, spoon a heaping tablespoon of the pastry cream over the cherries. Replace the top halves. Finish by spooning about 2 tbsp of the glaze over the tops.

PASTRY CREAM
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 cups milk
1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Whisk the egg yolks until smooth in a large bowl.
2. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan, and heat over medium. Stirring constantly, gradually add the milk in a slow, steady stream, and cook until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. (Be patient.)
3. Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1/3 of the milk mixture into the egg yolks (you do this first to prevent curdling). Now pour this into the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and is thick enough to hold its shape. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
4. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve (gets rid of any pieces of egg white). Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it right onto the surface to keep a skin from forming. Directions say to refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 2 hours - but who has time for that? I popped it in the freezer until the cupcakes were ready to go, but I found it a little too stiff. I'd probably just go with the fridge next time.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp light corn syrup

1. Place chocolate in a small saucepan or heatproof bowl.
2. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate. Let it stand without stirring until the chocolate begins to melt.
3. Use a flexible spatula to gently stir the chocolate and cream together until totally combined. It helps to begin near the center of the bowl and slowly work your way out. Don't overstir. Will be smooth and glossy. (This would make a great ice cream topping, too, btw.)

Devil's Food Layer Cake

(from "Comfort Food", by Rick Rodgers)

So Joef and I have an ongoing battle about whether or not I like (or rather, don't like) cake. You'd think he'd just take my word for it, except that there have been, on certain occasions, cakes that I've liked, which hurts my case a bit. Take, for example, the cake from McArthur's Bakery in St. Louis that we had at our wedding, which was unbelievably good. That was the first time I actually understood why people crave cake.

Tonight's cake (another cooking first for me) was not McArthur's. But I did like it very much. Now, I only had a small piece, and I'd still choose pie, or something with cheese or bacon, over it. As it stands, however, it looks like Joef can put another tally in his "Julia likes cake" count. Darn him. :)

CAKE
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick, gulp) unsalted butter, plus 2 tbsp (warmed to room temp)
3 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

FROSTING
3 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar (same as powdered sugar, as it turns out)
1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (warmed to room temp)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup or so heavy cream

Preheat the over to 350. Lightly butter two 9-inch, round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with a circle of parchment paper. Lightly dust the pans with flour and tap out the excess.

In a small bowl, whisk together the boiling water and cocoa until smooth. Put it in the fridge to let it cool completely. (Word of warning: this will smell delicious. It will taste, however, like burnt-rotten-awfulness. Do not taste it. Even a little bit. Seriously.) In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. In yet another bowl, a large one, beat the sugar and butter together with a handheld mixer on medium-high. I recommend cutting the butter into chunks first. Once the sugar and butter are combined, beat in the eggs one at a time. Then beat in the vanilla and the cooled cocoa mixture. Reduce the speed on the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk in two parts. Start and end with the flour. (So - flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour.)

Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and smooth the tops. Pop in the oven for about 35 minutes. You'll know you're close when the sides of the cake start to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Remove the cakes and let them cool in their pans for 15 minutes. Run a knife along the inside of each pan to release the cake. Then invert the pans onto a plate, lift away the pans, and peel off the parchment. Turn the cakes right side up and let them cool.

Now you can work on the frosting. In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar and the cocoa. Slice up the second stick (oh my God) of butter and add it to the sugar and cocoa, then mix it all together using the handheld mixer on low. Mix in the vanilla. Finally, mix in the cream gradually, until it makes a spreadable frosting (I ended up adding more than a cup of cream, but I'd start there).

Once the cake is cool, place one of the layers on a plate, then spread the frosting on top to your taste. Place the second layer (the recipe says top side down, which I forgot to do, but which probably would work better for slipping) on top of the other, frosted, layer. Frost the rest of the cake, starting with the top and finishing with the sides.