CHALLENGER SWEETS

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Jacques Torres

Yields 18-20 Cookies

Jacques Torres is literally God for making these cookies. The saltiness and dark chocolate are the best combination ever.

2 Cups Minus 2 Tablespoons Cake Flour

1 2/3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 1/4 Teaspoons Baking Soda

1 1/2 Teaspoons Coarse Salt (Fleur de Sel, Plus Extra For Sprinkling)

2 1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1 1/4 Cups Dark Brown Sugar, Packed

1 Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar

2 Large Eggs, Room Temperature

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

16 Ounces Bittersweet Chocolate (I Use Bittersweet Scharffen-Berger, Use 60-70% Cocoa) Broken Into Small Pieces

Whisk together cake flour, bread flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

With an electric mixer, mix butter and sugars on high until smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time and beat until smooth. Add vanilla.

Gradually add flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in broken chocolate. Refrigerate for about 24 hours, and up to 4 days.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop ice cream scoop-sized balls (about 2 Tablespoons) on to a parchment-lined cookie sheets. Keep about 1-2 inches apart. Sprinkle with extra fleur de sel. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden and no longer shiny.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Yields 24 Cupcakes

Anything vanilla I like. Anything vanilla bean I loooooove! This frosting is really light but so flavorful. You can really use any vanilla cupcake recipe but this one is great! 

Vanilla Cupcakes:

2 Cups Sugar

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 1/4 Cup Cake Flour

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, Softened

1 1/4 Cups Room Temperature Milk

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

4 Eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl (for an electric mixer), whisk together sugar, flours, baking powder, and salt. Add softened butter and beat on low until mixture is sandy. In measuring cup combine milk and vanilla and gently pour into butter mixture. Beat for about 1 minute until blended. Scrape down sides and add each egg one at a time, mixing well before adding the next. Beat for about 30 more seconds so batter is smooth and consistent.

Divide batter among cupcake pans to they are about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cupcakes should be golden brown on the sides and a clean toothpick will come out. Cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream:

2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, Softened

1 Vanilla Bean

2 Cups Sifted Powdered Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1-2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Slice vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the bowl with the butter (make sure you get lots of them!). Beat on high until seeds are dispersed. Add powdered sugar slowly, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream depending on the consistency you like. Beat for a couple extra minutes to get a lighter, fluffier consistency.

To frost, fill a piping bag with a large star tip (I like Wilton Open Star #2110). Start in the middle and pipe in a swirl moving to the edge of the cupcake to get the rose look. Add sprinkles if desired!

Gingerbread Men Cookies

Yields About 18 3-Inch Cookies

Although I decorated these myself, I love decorating cookies with my sister or my friends. This is a pretty basic recipe, I like them spicy and crispy on the outside—chewy on the inside. 

Ingredients:

2 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Tablespoon Ground Ginger

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon Cloves

1/2 Teaspoon Allspice

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1 Stick Unsalted Butter, Softened

1/2 Cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar

1 Large Egg

1/2 Cup Molasses

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and salt. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until smooth and light in color. Beat egg and molasses in until smooth. Scrape down sides and slowly beat in flour mixture. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for up to two hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out dough on a well-floured surface to about 1/8-1/4 inch (1/4 for softer cookies) thick. Cut out shapes and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Freeze for about 15 minutes or more before baking.

Bake for  11-13 minutes. Cookies should no longer be shiny and darkened in color. Transfer to wire rack and let them cool completely.

Decorate with Royal Icing and Cinnamon Red Hots (or anything else you desire… Gum Drop Buttons?)

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Roll

Adapted from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

So, one of my friends always told me he made a mean pumpkin roll, but I had never tried one before. I was determined to make one for this years Thanksgiving and it was sooo good. Like… so good. Let’s just say one of my cousins walked away eating a chunk of it like a Ho-Ho.

Sponge Cake:

1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar (For Tea Towel)

3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cloves

1/4 Teaspoon Allspice

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

3 Large Eggs

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

2/3 Cup Pumpkin Puree

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 15x10 inch Jelly Roll Pan with non-stick spray, and line with wax paper. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and salt in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs and sugar until thick (about two-three minutes). Beat in pumpkin until smooth. Sprinkle flour mixture over egg mixture. Stir this in until you can still see a few streaks of flour. From here fold in the rest (this will keep it to stay spongey while baking). Spread evenly into prepared pan.

2. Bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes. While in the oven prepare tea towel. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar. Take the cake out, the top of the cake should spring back. Immediately loosen the cake on to the tea towel. Slowly remove the wax paper. Starting at the narrow end, roll the towel with the cake up very tightly. Place on a wire rack to cool, completely. (The hardest part is over!)

Filling:

8 Oz. Cream Cheese at Room Temperature

6 Tablespoons of Butter at Room Temperature

1 Cup of Sifted Powdered Sugar

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Vanilla 

Blend cream cheese and butter on high in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Mixture should be smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar and cinnamon. Scrape down the sides and beat in the vanilla until there are no more lumps in the filling.

To Prepare Cake: Carefully unroll the cooled cake. Spread the filling evenly on the inside and then re roll the cake. Place the rolled cake on a plate and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until serving (at least one hour). Sprinkle entire cake with powdered sugar before serving for an extra touch!

My mouth is watering thinking about it.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Yields 3-4 Dozen Cookies

Thing I miss most while away from home. Not the cookies (although I’m sad they were devoured in 48 hours). I miss getting to bake! Get me an oven and some butter, stat.

1 Cup Butter

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

2 Cups Flower

1 Cup Ground Pecans/Hazelnuts/Walnuts

Beat together butter, 1/2 Cup of powdered sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Slowly, add flour 1/2 Cup at a time. Stir in the ground nuts. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Prepare a bowl with remaining powdered sugar.

Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough into 1 1/2 Teaspoon size balls. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet 1/2 inch apart. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. They should be light golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then dip and roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar. (If you’re like me and you love powdered sugar, you can double roll them!)