Twenty Chewy Cocoa Cookies with Chocolate Chips

In so many ways, it would be easier to make a gargantuan batch of cookies. If a girl is going to sift one cup of flour, she might as well sift five. Then she’d have lots and lots of delicious cookies to dole out to friends and family, or to freeze for busy nights ahead.

The only thing is, I prefer baking my cookies in small, secret batches. They feel more special that way, more exclusive. In my kitchen as I sift and stir and bake, I think of those one or two special people who will receive them this time. How I might nestle them into a small box, or wrap them up in a cellophane bag. How they might smile when they receive them, or maybe, if they’re hungry, eat one right away.

Tonight I baked exactly  twenty chocolate cookies. Some for my sister, some for Michael, and yes, some for me. Just twenty cookies, crisp on the outside, dark and dense with cocoa and chocolate chips on the inside.  Just enough to savour, and just enough to selectively share.

If you had just twenty chewy cocoa cookies chock full of chocolate chips, who would you share them with with?

{MAKES} 20 cookies

{INGREDIENTS}

1 C unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

4 TB (½ stick) unsalted butter

1/3 C granulated sugar (or use 2/3 C for a sweeter, chewier cookie)

1/3 cup light brown sugar

7 TB unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup plain yogurt, not low- or nonfat

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ C chocolate chips, semisweet or bittersweet

{DIRECTIONS}

one. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

two. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

three. Place the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and microwave briefly, until just melted (approx. 30 seconds). Add the sugars, and sift in the cocoa. Stir to blend well.

four. Add the yogurt and vanilla and stir to mix thoroughly. Add the dry flour mixture, and stir to just combine. Add the chocolate chips and stir to incorporate.

five. Using a tablespoon-size measuring spoon, scoop and shape the dough into little domes onto the baking sheet. You will get precisely 20 cookies.

six. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, in batches if necessary, until the tops of the cookies have crackled slightly and look set. Avoid the urge to overbake… the cookies should be just done.

seven. Remove from the oven, then press lightly on each cookie with the back of a spoon or fork to flatten slightly.

eight. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and cool completely. …that is if you can resist the urge from eating the warm gooey cookies right away!

These cookies are delicious warm, straight out of the oven, and store for several days in an airtight container or plastic bag.

{ADAPTED FROM}

Molly’s recipe for Chewy Cocoa Cookies with Chocolate Chips from Orangette, less 1/2 a cup of white sugar, as well as her unique reflections on cooking and life.

Average is Better: Applesauce Muffins

Sometimes a girl needs an average sort of muffin. Someone wholesome and reliable, the sort of muffin you can bring home to your parents and count on to get along with your best cup of tea, mug of coffee, even your favourite stew.

This average applesauce muffin forgoes fluffiness for a moist, honest-to-goodness crumb. He skips over-the-top sweetness and goes straight to a hint of brown sugar and honey. He can’t be bothered with fussy frosting (vanity is sooooo unattractive in a muffin) for an aww-shucks slice of apple. And best of all, you can always count on him to rise to the occasion when it really counts.

Your mothers were right, ladies. When it comes to applesauce muffins (and men), “average” is actually better.

{MAKES} 12 muffins

{INGREDIENTS}

1 C unsweetened applesauce

1/3 C vegetable oil

1/4 C honey

1 egg slightly beaten

2 C all purpose flour

1/4 C brown sugar (for a sweet muffin, double the brown sugar to 1/2 C)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 large apple, diced (approx. 1 C)

additional 1/2 apple, thinly sliced for garnish

{DIRECTIONS}

one. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

two. Prepare muffin tins by lining with paper muffin cups, or by greasing each muffin tin with vegetable oil or non-stick spray.

three. Peel (if you want to peel) and dice 1 large apple and set aside for the muffin batter. Then, thinly slice the remaining 1/2 apple and set aside for a simple garnish.

four. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together applesauce, vegetable oil, honey and egg with a rubber spatula.

five. In a large mixing bow, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

six. Fold in 1C chopped apple.

seven. Make a well in the centre of flour mixture and pour in applesauce mixture, all at once. Using a rubber spatula, fold ingredients together until juuuuust moistened.

eight.With a large spoon, divide the batter into muffin cups.

nine. Garnish each muffin with a slice of apple. (I stuck my apple slices vertically into each muffin at a jaunty angle.)

ten. Bake for 350 degrees until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted in the centre of each comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then remove from tin and cool on a wire rack.

Colourful Curried Confetti Soup

The leaves have begun to scatter. After yesterday’s rain, they littered this morning pavement like coloured confetti. I can’t help but think that before long, even these leaves will pass, and we’ll be left with nothing but bare branches, grey pavement and even greyer skies for the winter months ahead.

It would be a melancholy time, if not for recipes such as this one for a colourful curried confetti soup, with its flurry of red onion and cabbage, orange pumpkin, yellow sweet potatoes and green zucchini. And for fall company like Lindsay, who  blew into my apartment a few nights ago as if on seasonal cue with a warm grin, girly gossip and a massive green salad from Whole Foods. I love that she’s the sort of friend I can share this sort of messy, unfussy soup with-both of us in comfy sweats, catching up on life and relationships between spoonfuls. Perfect company to colour grey fall evenings.

{MAKES} 4 generous servings

{INGREDIENTS}

2 TB olive oil

2 cloves garlic, slivered

1 TB curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 small red onion, diced (approx. 1 C)

1 large sweet potato, grated (approx. 2 C)

1 large zucchini, grated (approx. 2 C)

2 C pureed pumpkin

2 C chicken stock

2 C coconut milk

1 C frozen peas

1/2 C purple cabbage, finely diced (for garnish)

salt and pepper to taste

{DIRECTIONS}

one. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and add the garlic and red onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.

two. Stir in curry powder and cumin.

three. Add grated sweet potato and zucchini to the pot. Saute uncovered for 6-8 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften.

four. Stir in pureed pumpkin,  then chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes on medium-low heat until vegetables are well softened, stirring occasionally.

five. Add coconut milk and green peas. Simmer on low until peas are bright green and just cooked through.

six. Remove from heat and stir in purple cabbage.

Serve with thick slabs of crusty bread and a crunchy green salad.

Brazenly Braised Purple Cabbage

You’ve got to admire the prima donna boldness of purple cabbages. While savoy cabbages’ crinoline leaves crinkle shyly under pressure, and average green cabbages go almost unnoticed in their Plain Jane simplicity, purple cabbages are bright, brazen and audacious. They’d pucker up their purple lips and flirt with your boyfriend in a heartbeat. Shamelessly.

Don’t bother trying to stop them. Braise them. It’s true they’ll soften sweetly and be even sexier the next morning. But he’ll fall in love with both of you.

{MAKES} Serves four to six generously as a side dish.

{INGREDIENTS}

2 TB olive oil

6 small shallots, finely sliced

1 small brazenly-red cabbage, quartered, cored and very thinly sliced

1/4 C apple juice

3 TB apple cider vinegar

2 TB honey

1 tsp salt

{DIRECTIONS}

one. Heat olive oil in a large, non-reactive skillet or pot over medium heat.

two. Add shallots and saute until translucent and slightly golden.

three. Add cabbage, apple juice, vinegar, honey and salt.

four. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the cabbage is very soft but not falling apart  (about an hour).

Yes, that really is it. Serve with your favourite chicken or pork recipe, or in a big bowl for the morning-after.

{ADAPTED FROM}

A brazen adaptation of Molly’s Braised Red Cabbage with Apples.

Curried Coconut Shepherd's Pie with Slow Roasted Yams

To be honest, every minute of this week has been a hurried-scurry: out the door every morning for a jog before scurrying to and through a day at the office. Scurrying here, there and everywhere to meet friends, or to run those scurrying types of errands that you can’t quite remember after because you were… well… scurrying.

But it’s Friday. The Canadian Thanksgiving weekend lies ahead.

So tonight, instead of scurrying, I came home and slow roasted yams in the oven to top a homemade shepherd’s pie. I gave them their sweet time to caramelize instead of hurriedly boiling them into submission, and added a slow tropical drawl of  coconut and curry. A pot of red cabbage and apple braised slowly on the stove top. My dear friend Jim came over for dinner. We drank a bottle and a half of very good Australian shiraz  and caught up on over a year of life.

So much has happened in this year between Thanksgivings. Our lives have emptied and refilled in ways that neither of us could have imagined.

Between the hurrying and the scurrying, so many changes take place in our peripheral vision, barely noticed until we pause to ponder them with a good friend over good wine, and a shepherd’s pie topped with unscurriedly-roasted coconut yams.

{MAKES} 6 generous servings (made in a deep 10″ skillet or a 9 x 13″ casserole)

{INGREDIENTS}

6 small yams or sweet potatoes (yielding 5C mashed yams)

1 to 2 TV olive or canola oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, slivered

1 1/2  lbs lean ground beef, lamb or a mixture of the two (I used ground beef alone)

2 TB flour

1 TB Madras curry powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1 C  beef, veggie, or chicken broth

1 C frozen peas

1/4 C coconut milk

salt and pepper to taste

one. To roast yams: preheat oven to 425°F. Place washed, whole yams (with their skins on) into a roasting pan lined with parchment paper or tin foil (to catch the juices). Prick each yam all over with a fork. Roast in the oven for 1 hour or until they begin to soften and caramelize. (If you are short on time, prepare the yams the evening before, or alternatively, peel, chop and boil them into soft submission the evening you’re making the dish.)

two. While yams are roasting, prepare the meat filling: In a deep oven proof skillet , heat a 1 to 2 TB of olive or canola oil and sauté the onion, garlic and carrot over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until soft.

three. Add curry, cumin, cinnamon and fennel seeds and stir for 1 minute or until fragrant.

three. Add the garlic and meat and cook for another 5 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are beginning to brown

four. Sprinkle 2 TB of flour on top of the meat mixture, and stir it until it is well incorporated and the mxture simmers and thickens. The meat should be nearly cooked through but should have a touch of pink.

five. Stir in 1C of frozen peas and remove from heat.

(You can pour the meat filling into a baking dish if you’d like and make sure that it only fills it half full… but I simply serve my shepherd’s pie in the skillet to save washing an additional serving dish.)

six. To make the coconut yam topping: Peel yams and mash with the coconut milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

eight. Using a large spoon or spatula, spread the yam topping over the meat mixture and smooth the top.

nine. Bake for 30 minutes, and then broil the top for 15 minutes or until top is a golden brown.

{AN ORIGINAL RECIPE FROM THE MESSY KITCHEN}
Inspired by Julie’s Lamb Shepherds Pie with Sweet Potatoes

Rustic Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

Step out of your high-heeled shoes, my friends. Throw on a worn sweater and those flannel PJs you save for nights like these. It’s just us tonight, there’s no need to put up your hair. Steep yourself a cup of your favourite tea, and bake these pumpkin cornbread muffins.

Earthy with cinnamon and cumin, these down-to-earth, no-airs muffins are moist with pumpkin and honey with a rustic cornmeal  crunch. They taste best in comfy threads, at a casual fall brunch, a country Thanksgiving, with a steaming bowl of your favourite stew or chili, or simply with a dollop of butter  and tea.

{MAKES} 9 large muffins

{INGREDIENTS}

½ C flour

½ cup barley or whole-wheat flour

1 TB baking powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cumin

1 C cornmeal

2 large eggs

1 C pumpkin puree

1/3 C brown sugar

1/4 C honey

¼ cup canola oil

{DIRECTIONS}

one. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line muffin tin with 9 large muffin cups.

two. In a large bowl, sift together all flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. Stir in cornmeal.

three. In a separate, smaller bowl, use a rubber spatula to thoroughly mix eggs, pumpkin, brown sugar, oil and honey.

four. Make a well in the centre of your dry mixture. Using a spatula, fold in the pumpkin mixture until the batter is just blended.

five. With a large spoon, divide batter into prepared muffin cups.

six. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of each muffin comes out clean, and the tops are a golden brown.

seven. Cool in muffin tins for 10 minutes, then remove muffins to wire rack to cool. These muffins are at their best the same day. They won’t last.

{INSPIRED BY}

Restaurant Review: Smitty's Oyster House

When the sun cracks the sky first thing Friday morning,

and you find yourself seated at this gleaming bar in Gibsons by noon…

and the bartender hands your boyfriend an icy, midday brew within minutes of arriving,

then shucks shells that reveal the freshest oysters,

that you slurp with a squirt of lemon, a quartet of  hand-cut salsas and freshly grated horseradish,

and a pound of clams arrive, plump and steaming, bathed in a buttery white wine and shallot sauce,

perfect for soaking up with slabs of soft, sweet bread,

and you get to eat three of the four fresh fish tacos (because let’s admit it, he ate almost all of the clams),

and the warm corn tortillas don’t fall apart when you stuff them full of seared halibut, pico de gallo, avocado, and shredded lettuce,

and you chuckle to yourself over the quirky artwork,

as well as the quirky view,

You know it’s the start to a good, good Friday… and a fabulous weekend to come. Make your Friday (or any day) a good one:

Smitty’s Oyster House

Address: 643 School Road Wharf, Lower Gibsons, British Columbia
Phone: 604.886. HOOK (4665)

Tucked next to one of Canada’s few remaining working wharfs by the Gibsons Harbour shoreline, Smitty’s Oyster House serves up slurp-worthy oysters (surprise!), fresh local seafood, and a solid list of suds and wines. Best of all, it is a short, scenic, and (if you are lucky) sunny sailing over from Vancouver via the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast ferry.

Full disclosure: I was under the influence of the Friday off and the sunshine, but loved this spot immensely. The oysters were fresh, the clams plump and perfectly cooked, and the fish tacos tasty (though I could have used more of a little of those taco fillings! ). Stop by on your next trip to British Columbia’s gorgeous Sunshine Coast.

And it made these small summer squashes all the more perfect when we found them on Sunday, tucked inside a deserted roadside produce stand. We chose the smallest ones, fist sized handfuls of sunshine from a stranger’s garden, place them on a scale, and dropped a few coins in a box in exchange.

On a fall night, this bright tasting recipe for Roasted Summer Squash and Shallots tastes of sun, Sunday and the small delights of an earlier season.

{MAKES} 4 generous servings

{INGREDIENTS}

Summer squash is the brilliant yellow cousin of your regular garden variety zucchini, and comes in a variety of sizes. Choose whatever you might find at your local grocery store or country roadside produce stand.

6 fist-sized summer squash (approx. 5C or 2 lb), each sliced into 6 wedges

3 small shallots, roughly sliced

2 cloves garlic, roughly minced

juice from 1 lemon

1 TB red wine vengar

1 TB olive il

1 tsp dried Herbes de Provence (or thyme)

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

{DIRECTIONS}

one. In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil and herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.

two. Toss summer squash, shallots and garlic together in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.

three. Pour marinade over vegetables and toss to coat. Set aside for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

four. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roast summer squash and shallots in oven for 40 minutes to 1 hour, tossing occasionally.

five. Brighten your fall table by serving these hot or at room temperature with roasted pork, chicken or fish. Leftovers are perfect pan-friend with an omelette the next day.

]]> http://www.messykitchen.ca/roasted-summer-squash-shallots-sunshine/feed/ 0 http://www.messykitchen.ca/to-nibble-immediately-honey-spiced-pecans-fennel-seeds/ http://www.messykitchen.ca/to-nibble-immediately-honey-spiced-pecans-fennel-seeds/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:16:55 +0000 messy kitchen http://www.messykitchen.ca/?p=368

Honey-Spiced Pecans & Fennel Seeds

The weather has turned, and the oak trees around the corner have been heavy with acorns and raindrops. In the gaps between showers, neighbourhood squirrels have been scurrying, moving the bounty of nuts to hiding spots in preparation for winter.

There is something to be said for this simple sort of life.

But the sad truth is, I would make a horrible squirrel. I am bad at climbing trees, which would mean that the freshest, juiciest nuts would be taken by braver, more nimble squirrels. With little sense of direction, anything I hid would be lost forever, no matter how many hints and scents I left behind to mark its location. (Six paces to the right from the mushroom then three paces to the left. Hmmm. Which mushroom?)

But my surest failure would be in hoarding for winter. I cannot fathom resisting the urge to nibble, nibble, nibble the entire trove of autumn nuts, regardless of imminent frost. Like these warm Honey-Spiced Pecans & Fennel Seeds. They never made it into the roasted pear and arugula salad it was intended for. They were nibbled, nibbled, nibbled until the last sticky one was gone.

{MAKES} One cup of deliciously sticky, sweet, spiced nuts, enough to scatter on four salads or for one squirrel to nibble through in a single sitting.

{INGREDIENTS}

1 C whole pecans

1 TB butter

1 TB fennel seeds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

4 TB honey

{DIRECTIONS}

one. In a small, preferably non-stick skillet over medium-low heat, melt 1 TB butter.

two. Add fennel, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Toast for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

three. Add pecans and toast for 2 minutes. Stir frequently.

four. Add honey to the skillet and stir until well combined. Toast over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until mixture is fragrant and foamy.

five. Spread pecans in a single layer on a plate or baking sheet (spray with non-stick spray first if desired) and leave to cool.

six. Nibble, nibble, nibble immediately or hide from yourself in an airtight container for a few days.

{AN ORIGINAL RECIPE FROM THE MESSY KITCHEN}

September's Cinnamon Cider Roasted Vegetables

Given September and the season, we have been blessed with more sunny skies than we could have hoped for here in Vancouver. But today, as the month draws to a close, showers have slipped in and with them the suggestion of cozy sweaters, woolen socks, and the scent of cinnamon and apple cider to warm these wholesome roasted vegetables and the months to come.

{MAKES} A lot, enough to serve 4-6 people, depending on how much they like their vegetables…

{INGREDIENTS}

This simple recipe works with any combination of your favourite September vegetables, from sweet potatoes and swiss chard to shallots and squash. Combine colours and textures for flavour and crunch.

Fall Vegetables (or a combination of your own):

6 cloves garlic

1 red onion cut into wedges (approx. 1 C )

6 small carrots, sliced (approx. 2 C)

1/4 head purple cabbage, sliced (approx. 4 C)

1 small head broccoli, cut into florets  (approx. 4C)

2  zucchini, sliced (approx. 4 C)

scattering of salt and freshly ground pepper

Cinnamon Cider Roasting Sauce:

1 C natural apple cider or apple juice

3 TB extra virgin olive oil

3 TB apple cider vinegar

1 TB honey or brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

{DIRECTIONS}

one. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

two. Cut vegetables into similar-sized pieces, with root vegetables (such as carrots) sliced slightly smaller as they take longer to roast.

three. Toss vegetables into a large pan and season with salt and pepper.

four. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the cinnamon cider roasting sauce.

five. Pour sauce over vegetables then roast them in the oven for 40-50 minutes, to your personal desired level of crunchiness. Toss at least twice to combine ingredients.

{INSPIRED BY}

Karina’s recipe for Cider Roasted Vegetables from her gluten free kitchen.