Making actual banana bread brownies turned out to be a lot harder than I thought. When I saw the food wish, I figured I’d just do what I usually do for recipes I’ve not tried before, and check out a bunch of versions online before deciding on how to do my twist. Except, I really didn’t see any true banana bread brownies, but rather...to read the rest of Chef John's article about Banana Bread Browniesplease follow this link to become a member.) Follow this link to get a complete, printable written recipe for Banana Bread Brownies!
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
When I was in high school, we watched a movie (we didn’t call them videos back then) about the effects of drinking on driving skills, and I don’t think I’m spoiling the ending by telling you that the more you drink the worse you drive. Obviously, that’s something we all know, but there was one very surprising fact presented in the beginning of the movie...to read the rest of Chef John's article about Chocolate Rum Snowballsplease follow this link to become a member.) Follow this link to get a complete, printable written recipe for Chocolate Rum Snowballs!
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
Delicious things are bound to happen when you have lots mascarpone around, and thanks to my recent homemade Italian cream cheese adventures, lots of mascarpone is exactly what I had. We used the surplus to make all sorts things, but this Tiramisu Toast was our favorite. While not exactly like classic tiramisu, this featured that same irresistible flavor combination of...to read the rest of Chef John's article about Tiramisu Toastplease follow this link to become a member.) Follow this link to get a complete, printable written recipe for Tiramisu Toast!
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
As a young kid, growing up in Shortsville, NY, my favorite ice cream was Rocky Road. I can remember riding my bike to Bud’s Polar Bar during those always too-hot summers, and not only enjoying Rocky Road ice cream on its own, but in the form of their Rocky Road sundae, which featured the nut and marshmallow studded chocolate ice cream, covered with marshmallow sauce, and even more nuts. The point I’m trying to get across is that I... to read the rest of Chef John's article about Rocky Road,please follow this link to become a member.) Follow this link to get a complete, printable written recipe for Rocky Road!
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
I’m not sure if it counts as an actual problem or not, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I recently found myself with a few too many fresh cherries around, which I decided I wanted to turn into a chocolate-studded loaf. Since our banana bread gets such gets reviews, I used that as the base recipe for this, and... to read the rest of Chef John's article about this Cherry Chocolate Loaf,please follow this link to become a member.) Follow this link to get a complete, printable written recipe for Cherry Chocolate Loaf!
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
We’ve posted chocolate truffle-like confections before, but I’ve always taken the coward’s way out, and just finished them by dusting in cocoa, which, while technically acceptable, isn’t even close textually to what we’ve finally done here. A proper truffle needs to feature that irresistible contrast between the soft ganache center, and a crispy, pure chocolate shell. Don’t worry – it’s easier than it sounds.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
They say that these Swedish chocolate balls, known as chokladbollar,
are the first thing a Swedish child learns to make, which makes a lot of sense.
They’re easy to do, there’s no baking required, and mixing the “dough” together
is just as fun as making mud-pies. What doesn’t make sense is that these aren’t
the first thing an American child learns to make. Maybe this video will help
change that.
It’s not like these are pure health food, but they sure are a
lot better than eating a candy bar when those hangry feelings flood over you in
the middle of the afternoon. The fat and whole grain in these keep you
satisfied much longer than you’d think, and the little pick-me-up from the
coffee, sugar, and cocoa doesn't hurt either.
I used quick-cooking oats in these, but I’ve also made them
with regular rolled oats, and they seemed to come out just fine. Of course,
some folks might have trouble eating raw oats, but that can be solved if you do
the optional pan-toasting step. Above and beyond making these easier to digest,
I like the very subtle toasty notes it provides. Either way, I really do hope
you teach your kids how to make these chokladbollars very soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 14-16 small Swedish Chocolate Balls:
1 1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats, very lightly toasted
1/2 cup white sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of cayenne
1/4 cup soft unsalted butter
1/4 cup room temp coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brewed coffee or espresso
finely shredded unsweetened coconut for rolling balls
Banana, walnut, and chocolate are always an amazing
combination of ingredients, no matter what the delivery system, but it really doesn’t
get any better than in this ganache-frosted cupcake. A close second would be a
chocolate-dipped frozen banana, rolled in walnuts, which is also a great treat,
although much more awkward to eat in public.
Just be sure to buy your bananas way ahead of time. Using
green bananas would be one of the few ways to mess this up, so I’d pick some up
at least a week ahead of time, and wait until they’re starting to turn black
before using them. For some extra flavor, a little banana liqueur wouldn’t be a
bad idea, but these were great as is.
I thought the dark chocolate ganache was a perfect frosting,
especially after trying them with a banana-based buttercream, which ended up
being way too sweet for such a decadent cupcake. Of course, you can skip the
frosting all together, and simply make a batch of the world’s best chocolate,
walnut, banana muffins. Either way, I really do hope you give these a try soon.
Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 Chunky Monkey Cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup soft butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
12 banana chip for garnish, optional
- Bake at 350 F. for about 25 minutes.
For the Dark Chocolate Frosting:
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup very hot, but not boiling cream
- Pour cream over chips, wait a few minutes, and stir. Wait
until mixture is cool enough to be spreadable.
These gorgeous cream puff "crack
buns” were inspired by the Great British Baking Show, which is not only my
favorite cooking show, but currently my favorite thing on television. Maybe
it's the accent, or because the contestants are all so nice, and actually try
to help each other. Or, it could be the fact that when the time is up, and they
try to work for a few more seconds, the hosts just politely scold them, instead
of immediate disqualification, which is what would happen on our much more uptight
American culinary competitions.
It's probably all of the above, plus
the fact I always get so many wonderful ideas for videos, with these Choux au Crackelin
being a prime example. Like I said in the video, these would be great filled
with all kinds of things, but it's hard to beat vanilla bean pastry cream. I'm
pretty proud of the recipe we posted a few years ago, and while I enjoy it
straight, traditionally it would have some whipped cream folded in to lighten
the mixture.
Speaking of favorite things, Boston
cream pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and this was basically an
individually portioned, probably superior version of that. The only thing that
would have made this experience any more enjoyable would have been getting that
coveted Paul Hollywood handshake. Maybe one day. In the meantime, I really do
hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 6 to 8 Crack Buns:
For the “crack” crust:
3 tablespoons soft butter
1/4 light brown sugar (1 1/2 ounces)
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (47
grams)
pinch salt
For the choux pastry:
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
pinch salt
1/2 cup flour
2 large room temperature eggs
melted dark chocolate, optional
- Put into 450 F. oven, reduce to 350 F., and bake for 30-40
minutes or until browned and fully puffed.
I’ve always found it amusing that macaroons, which are one
of the easiest cookies ever, has the same name, give or take an “o,” as the
famously difficult macaron.
Even though they have the same origin, which the
Italian word maccarone (also where we get macaroni), they couldn’t be more
different in texture, as well as the skill they require.
Since we did (and totally nailed) the hard one, I figured I
should do the easy one, especially since I just got back from vacation, and
something simple seemed like a really good idea. Speaking of easy, using sweetened
condensed milk streamlines the operation, and produces a very nice texture, but if
you can’t find it, there are many macaroon recipes that use white, or powdered sugar,
so don’t let that slow you down.
Regarding the chocolate dip, you can just melt, and use any
kind you like, but for that extra professional touch, I suggest tempering the
chocolate before you dip.There are many
complicated demos online, which involve heating and cooling the chocolates
using very specific temperatures, and they work great, but I generally don’t
have the patience.
Instead, I use a shortcut method that involves chopping up
some dark chocolate into the size of peas, melting 75% of it, and then stirring
in the other 25%, until it melts. That should get you pretty close, and at the
very least you’ll have a firmer, snappier texture than if you just melted all
the chocolate at once, and started dipping. Either way, I hope you give these
easy coconut macaroons a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 24 Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons:
