Dutch Baby!

How Dutch Babies have eluded me my whole life I have no idea! I love 'em!

This is a "baby" Dutch Baby, with chocolate chips and fresh whipped cream.

They were baked in mini cast iron skillets, and the large Dutch Baby was baked in a 12" cast iron skillet. They are amazingly simple to make and so much fun to eat! I used a recipe from Williams Sonoma's website for the large Dutch Baby, and a Cooking Light recipe for the mini ones so that I could compare the two recipes.

Both recipes are delicious and I'm not sure I can even tell the difference. They are so fun to watch baking. They take about 10-15 minutes and you can watch them creep up the edge of the skillet.

They have a wonderful "custardy" texture. You can top them and fill them with just about anything you can think of... baked apples, strawberries, peaches and nectarines, oranges, bananas and nutella, maple syrup, or just butter and lots of powdered sugar!

Time for breakfast!

Like many of my favorite breakfasts this can make a great dessert too... some vanilla ice cream... chocolate sauce... Enjoy!

Bob's Dutch Baby- (Williams Sonoma website)

2 1/2 ounces butter (5 T.)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups fruit

Powdered Sugar

Directions-

Oven: Adjust the rack to the upper third of the oven. Turn on the oven to 450 degrees.

Put the butter in a 12" skillet with an ovenproof handle. Set in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the butter completely (okay if it begins to brown).

While the butter melts, measure the flour into a large bowl. Add the eggs, milk and salt. Beat until smooth, using a whisk, large spoon or handheld electric mixer.

Pour the batter into the hot pan. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 15-20 mintues, until the sides are puffed up and dark golden brown. Remove from the oven. Loosen the Dutch Baby from the sides and bottom of the skillet, then slide it onto a serving plate. Pile the fruit in the center and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into wedges and serve.

Adapted from Rick and Lanie's Excellent Kitchen Adventures, by Rick Bayless and Lanie Bayless, with Deann Groen Bayless (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2004).

 Dutch Baby- Cooking Light

( I left out the bananas, but they sound delicious!)

3/4 cup 2 % milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 T. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

2 T. butter, divided

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 large firm bananas, halved crosswise then lengthwise

1/2 cup Kahlua

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Place a 9-inch cast-iron skillet in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. Combine first 5 ingredients; stir with  a whisk until smooth. Melt 1 T. butter in a preheated pan until browned, swirling to evenly coat pan. Add batter; sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until puffed and browned.

3. While Dutch baby bakes, melt 1 T. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bananas; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Add liqueur, and simmer 1 minute; serve with Dutch baby. Top Dutch baby with whipped topping.

Fresh Whipped Cream-

Whip 1 cup heavy whipping cream with a handheld mixer until thick and smooth, then add powdered sugar to taste.

Sugar, 'n Spice, 'n All Things Nice!

I think little boys are made of those things too! This little muffin was in the oven for 9 months, and on January 1st he was finally ready!

Sam and Bella love their baby brother Will.

The recipe for this one is top secret! :)

On the Twelfth Day of Cookies...

Sugar Cookies! You can't have Christmas without Sugar Cookies!

I sprinkled them with large sugar crystals for that extra sparkle :)

I hope you enjoyed the Twelve Days of Cookies! Have a WONDERFUL Christmas!

Sugar Cookies-
3/4 C. Butter

1 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp. Lemon Extract
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt

Mix butter, sugar, eggs, and flavoring thoroughly. Measure flour by dipping or sifting. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together; blend in. Chill at least 1 hour. Roll, cut and bake at 400 degrees. Bake for 6-8 minutes.

Sugar Cookie Icing-
2 C. Sifted Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 T. Cream (add more or less to desired consistency)

Blend sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add cream to make it easy to spread. Tint with a few drops of food coloring. Spread on cookies.

On the Eleventh Day of Cookies...

Hazelnut Nutella Sandwich Cookies! This is for all of the Nutella fans! This is a third variation of the chocolate decadence cookies. In the cookies are chopped hazelnuts, and the cookies are filled with creamy Nutella... mmmmmm! Also...

Peanut Butter Thumbprints! How can you go wrong with the classic peanut butter and chocolate combination? You just can't! This is the fourth variation of the chocolate decadence cookie recipe. Recipes with variations are so nice for Christmas baking, you get 5 cookies out of this recipe!

Just fill a small plastic bag with peanut butter, snip the corner and fill the little cookies.

Here they are ready to bake.

Here are a few types of the cookies, the plain ones in the back are the basic recipe and delicious!

Make all of the variations or pick your favorite one!

Chocolate Decadence Cookies-

Makes about 40 cookies
Time 30 minutes, plus chilling time

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, such as Guittard, chopped (I used Toll House Bittersweet Chips and they worked really well)
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, into chunks
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1. Put chocolates and butter in a medium metal bowl and set over a pan filled with 1 in. simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted, then remove from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in eggs and sugar, mixing until combined. Then whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt. Chill dough, covered, until firm, about 2 hours.
2. Let dough sit at room temperature 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 1 tbsp. portions of dough, rolling each into a ball, and put onto sheets 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until they no longer look wet on top, about 8 minutes ( a few more minutes for me ). Let cool on baking sheets.

Hazelnut Nutella Sandwich Cookies-
Prepare Chocolate Decadence Cookies (recipe precedes), mixing 1 cup chopped hazelnuts into dough in step 1. Continue with step 2, using your palm to press dough balls into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Bake as directed and let cool. Spread the flat side of 1 cookie with about 1 Tbsp. Nutella and sandwich with another cookie. Makes 20.

Peanut butter Thumbprint Cookies-
Prepare Chocolate Decadence Cookies (recipe precedes), through step 1. Continue with step 2, forming cookies into balls and setting on prepared baking sheets. Press your thumb into the center of each cookie ball, making a small well. Fill a resealable plastic bag with about 1/2 cup peanut butter. With scissors, snip off 1 corner of bag; squeeze about 1/2 tsp. peanut butter from bag into each well. Bake as directed. Makes 40.

On the Tenth Day of Cookies...

Lemon Thumbprints! They're such cheerful little cookies, like little rays of sunshine and just right for lemon lovers!

Mmmm... lemon.

These are raspberry thumbprints. I used store bought raspberry jam; they're a great contrast to the lemon.

Here they are ready to go in the oven. I used the end of a wooden spoon to make the little "wells" for the filling.

Enjoy these sweet little cookies!

Lemon Poppy Seed Thumbprints (I decided to leave out the poppy seeds)-

For the Curd-

Heat:

6 T. fresh lemon juice, strained

2 T. unsalted butter

Minced zest of 1 lemon

Whisk Together; Add:

2/3 cup sugar

2 T. cornstarch

Pinch of Salt

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Cookies

Cream-

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Add:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 T. poppy seeds (I left these out)

Dust:

with powdered sugar

(Raspberry Jam if you like)

Heat lemon juice, butter, and zest for the curd in a saucepan over medium until butter melts. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a blowl. Add eggs and yolks; whisk until smooth. Gradually add warm juice mixture, whisking constantly; pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Cook over medium heat 5-8 minutes, or until curd is thick, bubbly, and begins to turn bright yellow and opaque. Stir often with a rubber spatula to prevent scorching, mixture will be thick. (To cook the starchiness out of the cornstarch and ensure the curd will be thick enough to pipe, be sure to cook the curd until stiff.) Off heat, stir in the vanilla.

Transfer the curd to a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming; refrigerate until cold. (Curd may be made and chilled up to 2 days ahead.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla for the cookies in a bowl with a mixer until light.

Add flour and poppy seeds, and blend just until incorporated.

Pack a tablespoon measure with dough and shape into a 1" ball, pressing and smoothing it to eliminate cracks. Arrange balls on prepared baking sheets 2 "apart and make a 1/2" deep indentation in each one using a rounded handle of a wooden spoon. Bake 14-16 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 mintues, then transfer to a rack.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a small star tip with the cooled curd. Pipe a small amount of curd into each indentation in the cookies. You can also just spoon a dollop of the curd on the cookie.

Dust cookies with powdered sugar before serving.

On the Ninth Day of Cookies...

Chocolate Peppermint Patty Cookies! And they look so "Christmas-y"! This is a variation of the Chocolate Decadence Cookie.

For the crushed candy canes, just put them in a bag and smash away.

When you get the pieces small enough put them in a bowl to roll the filled cookies in.

So cute!

Chocolate Peppermint Patty Cookies-

Chocolate Decadence Cookies-

Makes about 40 cookies
Time 30 minutes, plus chilling time

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, such as Guittard, chopped (I used Toll House Bittersweet Chips and they worked really well)
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, into chunks
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

(3 cups powdered sugar)
(4 T. milk)
(3/4 tsp. peppermint extract)

(For this variation- Prepare Chocolate Decadence Cookies through step 1. Continue with step 2, using your palm to press dough balls into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Bake as directed and let cool. In a bowl, mix 3 cups powdered sugar, 4 Tbsp. milk, and 3/4 tsp. peppermint extract. Spread 1 heaping tsp. peppermint icing onto the flat side of 1 cookie. Top with flat side of a second cookie to form a sandwich, pressing together to squeeze filling to the edge. Roll edge of cookie in crushed and sifted candy canes. Makes 20.)


1. Put chocolates and butter in a medium metal bowl and set over a pan filled with 1 in. simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted, then remove from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in eggs and sugar, mixing until combined. Then whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt. Chill dough, covered, until firm, about 2 hours.
2. Let dough sit at room temperature 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 1 tbsp. portions of dough, rolling each into a ball, and put onto sheets 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until they no longer look wet on top, about 8 minutes ( a few more minutes for me ). Let cool on baking sheets.

On the Eighth Day of Cookies...

Double Chocolate Decadence Cookies! These cookies are Money! As my brother would say :)  Truly there are no words! Except... yummmmmmmm. You must make them!

It's another amazing recipe from this December's issue of Sunset Magazine. There are four variations to this recipe, which I'm going to use for the next few "Days of Cookies". They are made with melted bittersweet chocolate instead of cocoa which gives them a rich, true chocolatey flavor. They also have white chocolate chips. This is a recipe for a lifetime!

Chocolate Decadence Cookies-

Makes about 40 cookies

Time 30 minutes, plus chilling time

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, such as Guittard, chopped (I used Toll House Bittersweet Chips and they worked really well)

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup unsalted butter, into chunks

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

(1 cup white chocolate chips for this variation.)

(For this variation: prepare Chocolate Decadence Cookies, chilling dough 30 minutes in step 1, then mixing 1 cup white chocolate chips into dough. Chill dough another 1 1/2 hours. Continue with step 2, forming and baking cookies as directed. Makes 40.)

1. Put chocolates and butter in a medium metal bowl and set over a pan filled with 1 in. simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted, then remove from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in eggs and sugar, mixing until combined. Then whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt. Chill dough, covered, until firm, about 2 hours.

2. Let dough sit at room temperature 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 1 tbsp. portions of dough, rolling each into a ball, and put onto sheets 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until they no longer look wet on top, about 8 minutes ( a few more minutes for me ). Let cool on baking sheets.