Frozen Citrus Mousse

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz/330 g)
• 3/4 cup (6 fl oz/180 ml) fresh lemon juice 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest 
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• Unsalted butter for greasing
• 3/4 cup (6 fl oz/180 ml) heavy (double) cream

Directions:

Gather Ingredients.

On the top of a double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks, 1 (7 oz/220 g) of the sugar, the lemon juice, and the salt. Set over barely simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. I suggest zesting all of the fruits first. When it says "Thick enough to coat the back of the spoon" that basically means the mixture should drip off the spoon, with a paint like thickness. 

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the zests. Scrape down the sides of the double boiler top and gently press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Refrigerate, until chilled, and thick. Make sure the plastic wrap is completely touching the mixture and completely covering it because if it doesn't then a rubbery coating will form over it.

While Lemon mixture is chilling, make room in the freezer for six 3/4-cup ramekins. Shape collars for the ramekins out of parchment paper or aluminum foil and tape to the ramekins. Lightly grease the ramekins and collar. Dust with sugar, Place on a small baking sheet and set aside. 

When the lemon mixture is well chilled, in a deep bowl, using a mixer on medium-high speed, whip the cream until firm peaks form when the beaters are lifted. 

Clean the beaters and, in another deep, clean bow, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until firm peaks form when the batter is lifted.

Whisk the chilled lemon mixture until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, scoop the whipped cream onto the lemon mixture and fold in until just blended. Add the whites and fold gently until blended. Scoop into the the prepared ramekins, gently tapping each ramekin against the counter to settle the contents. make sure you mix all the mixtures in a large bowl, because there is a lot. 

Put the ramekins in the freezer for 30 minutes to set the mousse. Carefully cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours or up to over night. Before serving, pull off the collars. Serve at once.

My Experience:

This dish was a little confusing for me to make, I got lost a lot along the way and I had to seek help. It turned out alright, though not a pretty as I would have liked. It wasn't my favourite thing to make, but I still enjoyed the new experience.

Reese's Cookie Brownie Cakes.

This recipe is also not in my cookbook, It seems to be my month of birthdays so I keep baking what people request! This recipe is also really simple but it is what someone wanted me to make! Also I only made enough of these to fill up one cupcake pan so 12.

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of break apart cookie dough (I used chocolate chip with caramel and pecans.)
•  12 Regular or snack size Reese's peanut butter cups 
• 1 box of brownie mix (If you want to make the brownie mix homemade then click here for a link) 

Directions:

Gather Ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Prepare cupcake pans with cupcake wrappers. 

Flatten cookie dough into the prepared cupcake wrappers. Make sure it is really flattened down because there is a lot more stuff you have to put into the wrappers. 

Place Reese's face down onto the cookie dough. I always gently press the Reese's into the cookie dough so that you can have more room. 

Prepare brownie batter as directed on box (or follow the recipe if you make it homemade.) Spoon batter over the cookie dough and Reese's so that it is 3/4 the way full. I always tend to over do it because there is so much extra brownie batter for me.

Bake for 20 minutes. It always takes my oven a little longer to cook things so mine took about 25 minutes. 

Let cool on wire rack. Make sure they cool all the way before taking them out because they wont stay together if you take them out while they are hot. 

(This photo isn't mine. My finished product picture wouldn't upload.)

I had a lot of extra brownie mix so I simply put it in a little pan and made these cute heart shape brownies.

Enjoy! xx

My Experience:

I have made these before and they are such a simple recipe as long as you don't over fill the cupcake wrappers! I always tend to do that. I like making these a lot even though I don't end up eating any. 

Classic Birthday Cake

It was my friends birthday this week so I decided to make her cupcakes for her! This recipe has the directions for a two layer cake, but since I made cupcakes I will give you both ways of doing it.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups (8 oz/250 g) sifted cake (soft-wheat) flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (6 oz/185 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz/330 g) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup 98 fl oz/250 ml) buttermilk

For the Frosting:

• 4 oz (125 g) bitter sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 oz (60 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup (8 oz/250 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups (8 oz/ 250 g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• A little decoration of some sort. (sprinkles, sugar candies, ect) Optional

Directions:

Gather ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease the bottoms of two 8- or 9-inch (20- or 30-cm) round cake pans lined with parchment paper. Lightly grease the paper and sides of pans with butter and dust with flour. Or line 2 cupcake (muffin) pans with cupcake wrappers, or grease each hole with butter. Cupcake wrappers never seem to want to stay in the pans.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. Make sure you remember to sift the flour!

In another bowl, using the mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until smooth. Slowly add the granulated sugar  and continue beating until well blended and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until just blended. Beat in the vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 batches alternately with the butter milk in 2 batches, beating on low speed after each addition. You don't have to add the flour and butter milk in that perfectly, just alternate it when mixing it in.

Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans or cupcake pans, and spread evenly.

 Bake until a tooth pick is inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-35 minutes. Let cool on rack for 15 minutes. Run a small knife along the edges of each pan, or cupcake to loosen the cake, invert onto a rack and lift up the pans. Carefully peel off the parchment paper, then let cool completely before frosting. Or Remove the cupcakes from the pan and wait 15 minutes, plus the time it takes to make the frosting to frost. The cupcakes. The cupcakes should come out of the pan really easily, but some of them need to be helped out with a knife. They baked perfectly at 25 minutes.

To make the frosting combine the chocolates in the top of a double boiler. Set over barely simmering water and stir until melted.

Before

Let cool slightly. In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and the confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Beat in the corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Continue beating while gradually adding the chocolate. Beat until smooth. If your frosting is a little soft then you can put it in the fridge to help it firm up. 

Frost cupcakes, and put the little decorations (if you chose them) and then you are done! I chose a little Frankenstein candies for the top of them in spirit of Halloween.

My Experience:
Cupcakes are a recipe I am very familiar with. So this recipe was a breeze. Make sure your butter is softened, and mixed all the way before putting the batter in the pan, sometimes it doesn't mix all the way in, like it should. This cupcake recipe is one of the better ones I have tried out, the cupcakes taste wonderful!

Enjoy! xx

Raspberry Macarons

Just as a little note the recipe that I did this week is not from my book, I was inspired to make it after seeing it being made on television. This is my first time making them so it may not be the perfect way to make them, but I tried my hardest and followed the recipe and this is how they turned out. Also, the process of each step went by so fast it was hard to take a lot of pictures, and some of my pictures got deleted by accident, sorry about that.
Ingredients:

For outside:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cup almond flour

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 or 3 drops red food coloring 

For Filling:

• 2/3 cups fresh raspberries
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions:

Gather Ingredients.

Preheat oven to 400F, and position racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large, wide bowl, using a large rubber spatula, or hand held electric mixer, mix the confectioners' sugar and the almond flour with one of the egg whites until evenly moistened. My mixture didn't come out as it should have, but I did everything right so I don't know what happened.

In a small sauce pan, combine the granulated sugar with the water and bring to a boil; using a moistened pastry brush, wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Cook over high heat until the syrup reaches 240F on a candy thermometer. I messed up really bad the first time on this part, the syrup heats up really fast, and I my candy thermometer recently broke so I couldn't use that and I ended up using a meat thermometer, so my hand got a little burnt after holding it so close to the pan. Be careful! 

In another large bowl, using clean, dry beaters, beat the remaining 2 egg whites at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer at high speed, carefully drizzle the hot syrup over the whites until firm and glossy. Beat in food coloring until the meringue is bright pink. I suggest starting this step while the syrup is starting to cook.

Stir 1/4 of the meringue into the almond mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the rest of the meringue. Transfer the meringue into a pastry bag with a small tip. Pipe onto the prepared baking sheets into 1 1/2- inch mounds, one inch apart, tap the sheets and let dry for 15 minutes. If you don't have a pastry bag, you can use a big Ziploc bag and have the mixture go to one corner and cut the tip of the corner off. What it means by tap is hit the baking sheet with the mounds on it on the counter for a few seconds, this helps get any remaining air bubbles out. 

Transfer the meringues to the oven immediately turn off the heat, bake for 5 minutes. Turn the oven on to 400F, and bake the meringues for 8 minutes, until they are puffed and the tops look firm and glossy. Transfer the baking sheets to racks and let cool completely. Peel the meringues off the parchment paper. Be careful when peeling them off the baking sheets because they have a tendency to break, or even crumble. 

Filling: Mix all the ingredients together in a mixer on medium until blended. 

Pipe mixture onto the flat side of a meringue then put another one on top.

I didn't have enough time to pipe the filling so I just spread it with a knife instead.

My Experience:

This recipe was pretty challenging for me. There were a lot of parts where I needed some assistance. If you don't read through the recipe first it makes it hard to make absolute sure that you have everything. I had to redo some parts of this recipe because of how fast everything was going. I had fun making it though, it's nice to challenge yourself once in a wile. I would definitely make this recipe again! 

Enjoy!xx 

Warm Molten Chocolate Cakes

Ingredients:

• 8 oz (250 g) bittersweer chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons (2 1/2 oz/75 g) sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted, plus extra for dusting.
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (optional)
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature

Directions:

Gather ingredients.

Preheat oven to 400F (200C) Lightly grease six 3/4-cup (6-fl oz/180-ml) ramekins and dust with cocoa. Set the ramekins on a small baking sheet. I had a little bit of trouble dusting the ramekins, the cocoa just stuck to the butter and wouldn't move, so I did the best I could.

In the top of a double boiler (helpful tips), combine the chocolate and butter. Set over barely simmering water and melt. It took me forever to chop the chocolate so to save time i suggest just using a grater to grate the chocolate small enough to melt quickly. 

Then whisk until the mixture is glossy and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt, then set aside to cool. Be careful, when I added the vanilla it started popping when it touched the hot chocolate.

In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the egg yolks, half of the sugar (3 tablespoons), the two table spoons of cocoa, and the zest (if using), until thick. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture and beat until well blended. The mixture will be very thick. When I was separating the egg yolks from the whites I saved 3 out of 4 of the egg whites to use later in the recipe so I didn't have to waste more eggs, and by the time you need them they will be at room temperature. I threw the final egg white out.

In a bowl using clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until very foamy and thick. Sprinkle in the remaining sugar and increase the speed to high. Continue beating until firm, glossy peaks form. I tried to whisk the egg whites and sugar into glossy peaks by hand but it was taking a really long time just to get it to start forming so I moved it into the mixing bowl and used the mixer. 

Glossy Peaks

Spoon half of the beaten whites onto the chocolate mixture and whisk until just blended. Add the remaining whites and stir gently until just blended. 

Spoon into prepared ramekins, dividing evenly. This got messy for me and the batter did not go in as easily as desired. 

Bake the cakes until they are puffed and the tops are cracked, 13 minutes, The inside of the cracks will look very wet. Remove from oven and serve immediately in the ramekins or, run a small knife around the inside of each ramekin to loosen the cake and invert the cakes onto individual plate. It took mine 9 extra minutes to bake before they were fully done.

My experience:

I thought this recipe was going to be a lot harder then it was. I haven't made these before so I had no idea what to expect. I didn't have a lot of difficulties with these except they didn't puff up and much as I would have liked them too. I didn't serve them with any special sauces on top, but if I were to make them again I probably would do something like a raspberry coulis or creme anglaise. However it was a fun and easy recipe if you don't mind a bit of a chocolate mess! 

Helpful Tips:

Double Boilers: A double boiler cooks food gently on the stove top. Consisting of two nesting saucepans, double boilers are widely available, but a make shift one is easy to assemble. Choose a sauce pan and a heat proof bowl that rests securely in the top. Fill the saucepan with water a depth of 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm). One the bowl is placed on top of the pan the water must not touch it. Remember that boiling water bubbles up so check the water level before setting the bowl in place. Bring the water to a boil, set the bowl in place, and reduce the heat so the water simmers gently.

Enjoy! xx   

      

Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, plus extra for greasing
• 3 oz (90 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup (7 oz/122 g) sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (3 oz/90 g) cake (soft-wheat) flour, sifted
• 3/4 cup (4 1/2 oz/ 140 g) chocolate chips of your choosing (milk chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter, semisweet) (optional)

Directions:

Gather ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking dish, preferably glass. Make sure you grease up the sides of the baking dish too, because the brownies rise a bit higher up the sides.

In a sauce pan over low heat, combine the butter and chopped unsweetened chocolate. Heat, stirring often, until melted, about 4 minutes. It took me a little longer than four minutes to get it all the way melted, not to much longer though. 

Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and salt. I suggest doing this in a different bowl, not in the sauce pan. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until well blended. Sprinkle the sifted flour over the mixture and stir until just blended. I sifted 1/4 of the flour in at a time so it wouldn't be too much mixing all at once. Next add the chocolate chips, if using. I just did semisweet chocolate chips, but I think peanut butter would have made them even better because all the chocolate was a little overwhelming.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish and spread evenly. Bake the brownies until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost completely clean, about 30 minutes, or longer if using a metal pan. It took mine 5 extra minutes to bake in the glass dish I was using. Do not over bake, the brownies will get really hard when cooled if over baked. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into squares. You should end up with 9 brownies.

My Experience:

I have still been stressed out with school and all that so I thought brownies would be another great and easy recipe! I didn't have many problems with this recipe, and it didn't take a long time to make them. I did feel like they were too chocolaty when I added the semisweet chocolate chips so I think if I were to make this recipe again I would use a different type of chocolate chips to balance out the flavor. Also I know I should have taken more pictures I just forgot to until it was too late. Overall though it was a great recipe and they tasted good too!

Enjoy!xx

 

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 oz (30g) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (4 1/2 oz/140 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (3 oz/90 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
•  2/3 cup (5 1/3 oz/165 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (6 oz/185 g) bitter-sweet or semisweet (plain) chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (2 oz/go g) coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional) 

Directions:

Gather Ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 350F  (180C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler (Double boiler: a pot of water with a glass or metal bowl that can fit just over the pot) Set over simmering water and melt, whisking until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until blended. In another bowl, beat together the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well blended and fluffy. Beat in the melted chocolate. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and stir until almost blended. Add the chocolate chips and, if using, the walnuts or pecans. Continue stirring until well blended.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) apart. 

Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until they are puffed but still look moist on top, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on racks the room temperature. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

My Experience:

I have been busy and exhausted so I decided to go with something easier this week. I thought these cookies would be perfect to do! It didn't take that much time or energy to do at all! It was fun to use a double boiler because I don't generally work with them that often. I had a few off things about the cookies though. I put in two extra tablespoons of butter due to exhaustion and not paying enough attention, and I also only had 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla instead of 1 teaspoon, but the cookies came out super good so I suppose that didn't matter so much. Baking is about experimenting so a few slip ups aren't so bad.

Enjoy!xx