TWD: Creme Brulee

This week's recipe is Creme Brulee chosen by Mari at Mevrouw Cupcake. I was excited for 3 reasons.

1. I luuuuuv creme brulee.
2. I have never made it.
3. I get to use the kitchen torch we received as a wedding gift (five. years. ago.) and have never used.

So last night, home alone, I decided to stir things up. I was surprised by the simplicity of the recipe. It came together very quickly. I strained the liquid into ramekins and into the oven they went. Since I used ramekins that are smaller and taller in size than the recipe suggests, I did have to adjust my baking time. It took 1hr. 15 min. rather than the 50-60 min. as stated in the recipe. These need to chill for 3 hours or more, so I left them in the fridge overnight.

After lunch, I brought out my kitchen torch to finish off my dessert. Delicious! If I had known how easy it is to make something this good, I would have done it, oh, say, five years ago. I will definitely be making this for company. Simple, impressive and delicious.

Want some?

You can get the recipe over at Mari's bloglink at the beginning of this post or buy the book Baking: From my Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. It's worth having in your kitchen!

Next week: Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake

TWD: Dimply Plum Cake

This week's TWD recipe was Dimply Plum Cake. I have to admit I was a little concerned as to whether I would like it. I like plums by themselves, but not so much as an added recipe ingredient.


I gave it a try anyway because 1) I want to participate in making as many recipes in the Baking cookbook as possible, and 2) I wanted to see if my instinct were right, that I would not like this cake. I was wrong. It is gooood! Thinking about this now, it's hard to believe that I wouldn't like it because I love cake. Especially homemade cake.


The subtle sweetness of the cake counters the tartness of the plums nicely. I used the Italian Prune Plums as Dorie suggested, since they're currently in season. This is a quick and easy recipe. I'd like to try it with apricots. Raspberries would be good too.

This recipe was chosen by Michelle from Bake-en. You can get the recipe over at her site, or page 41 of the cookbook. Thanks for choosing a winner Michelle!

Next week: Creme Brulee. I'm excited!

TWD: Chocolate Chunkers

OMG! That was my first reaction after biting into this cookie. And my second, and third, and....

This week, Claudia from Fool for Food chose Chocolate Chunkers (p. 70 in Baking: From my Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan).

These cookies are decadent! Chunky, chocolatey, chewy, melt in your mouth good. They definitely fulfill any chocolate fix you might need. I was a little concerned about adding raisins to such a chocolatey cookie. I used pecans and golden raisins in mine. After seeing how chunky the batter was, I was more concerned that the cookies weren't going to hold together. No need to worry. That Dorie knows what she's doing. Probably the best cookie I've ever made.

Now I must leave the house and run some errands before that plate of cookies looks like this:


Being alone in the house with these as company is a dangerous situation!

TWD: Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

Last week I joined the baking club called Tuesdays with Dorie. Each week the club is going to bake our way through the cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. This week's recipe (my first) was the Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters chosen by Stefany of Proceed with Caution.

This was a super fast and easy dough to put together. I had all of the ingredients in my pantry, which was even better. I did make one modification though. Since I only had creamy peanut butter on hand and the recipe called for chunky, I added a half cup chopped roasted peanuts to the mix. The cookies came out great and are delicious. The oatmeal and the peanuts give them a great crunch, and yet they're chewy at the same time. They would be great with a glass of milk. Sadly, I have no milk in the house. note to self: buy milk tomorrow

I chilled the dough for about three hours before baking as recommended. Some bakers didn't chill their dough and their cookies came out flat. Others who didn't chill the dough said theirs came out fine. I wanted to make sure I didn't end up with flat cookies, so into the chiller it went.

I will definitely be making these cookies again!