Twix Brownies

Here are your weekend plans: MAKE. THESE. BROWNIES.

Inspired by Twix candy bars, these rich, fudgy brownies are topped with buttery shortbread cookies, gooey caramel, and a who-cares-if-it's-bathing-suit-season chocolate ganache. 

I say these are "inspired by" Twix because there are no actual Twix in the brownies. The shortbread cookies, caramel and chocolate will remind you of a Twix bar...the most decadent Twix bar ever.

A lot of desserts pass through this kitchen (have you noticed???) and I don't like to play favorites, but ohmygoshyoumustmaketheseimmediately.



After you make them, but might need to get them out of the house...especially if you have a family of three and 24 brownies are staring at you every time you're in the kitchen. I've been sending these with Jack 4 at a time in his lunchbox this week. The texts he's getting after school look something like this, "DUDE. BRING MORE BROWNIES TOMORROW." And, those are just the texts from his teachers.


The caramel layer is made with these caramel bits. Look for them near the chocolate chips. You can always use the wrapped caramels (look for those in the candy aisle), but these bits are SO much easier. You'll need two bags, but you won't use all of them.



Um, yeah.

Twix Brownies. You need them. Yes, my pants are fitting a little bit tighter this week, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

I'm sharing the recipe over on Imperial Sugar today. 
Go get it. 


If you're a brownies lover like I am, check out these other brownie recipes (AFTER you make the Twix brownies):

• Whoppers Brownies
• Caramel Brownies
• Double Chocolate Caramel Brownies

Carnation Cookies

Why do carnations get such a bad rap?
Do we just think of them as the science experiment we did in Kindergarten with the food coloring and water?


I'm not sure, but when I was given this carnation on Mother's Day, I was struck by how beautiful it was. Ruffled, full, dainty and study all at once...with its pink-tipped edges and spicy scent, I was left wondering why I don't fill my house with them.


I was also left with a notion that they needed to be cookied.


Let me show you how I made these. I try to keep a tub of white fondant on hand at all times...this is the one I like. You can find it on Amazon and Sur la Table.

I used this tutorial as a jumping off point. I don't have fondant tools, and wanted to try to create the look without buying more doo-dads. My doo-dad drawer is full. ;) If you want a perfect ruffled flower, be sure to check out that tutorial.

To make carnation cookies, you'll need:

• white fondant
• graduated circle cookie cutters
• icing tips: leaf and #3
• AmeriColor Electric Pink food coloring
• clean paintbrushes
• vodka
• water
• chopstick
• egg carton
• wax paper
• cut-out cookies
• piping bag
• royal icing, tinted with Americolor Leaf Green

Roll the fondant on a surface coated with cornstarch. I rolled mine to 1/8", but thinner would make a pretty and more delicate flower. Cut with the graduated circle cutters...you'll need 3 circles per flower.

Use the side of an icing tip to press along the edges of each circle to thin the edges. 

Next, use a toothpick to make some striations.

Mix food coloring with vodka until thinned and a paint-like consistency. Paint the edges with the mixture. 

Paint towards the center of the flower over the striations. I used both a fan brush and a flat brush...either will work. Stack the circles, using a bit of water in the center of each, and pressing in the center with the fat end of a chopstick. 

Use waxed paper to prop the flowers in an egg carton. Use a toothpick to nudge the ruffles where you want them. You can also touch up paint on the edges. Let the flowers set for a few hours. 

Use a #3 tip to adhere the flowers to the cookies.


Use leaf tips to add leaves. Let the icing set for an hour or so before packaging. 

When I head to the grocery store later today (already for the 3rd time this week...who's with me?), I'll definitely be filling my cart with carnations!

Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Almond Croissants

We're baaaaaaaack!

This week's Trader Joe's review brings us to breakfast. We're reviewing Trader Joe's Almond Croissants.

You'll find these in the freezer section.  They come in a box of 4 for $4.49.

One thing you must know about these is that they have to rise OVERNIGHT. Don't forget or you'll be kicking yourself in the morning.

Here's how they look straight out of the box...


And, after rising overnight...



They get really, really poofy. (I put the ruler there for comparison, but they really just expand up, not out.) ;)

In the morning, you'll bake for 20 minutes, then let them cool for 10 minutes before eating (AKA: torture).


A mom's (my) review: I'm wondering...would it be too much to have these for breakfast every day for the rest of my life? I'm serious, would it? Oh my gosh, these are perfection. Flaky, buttery, and filled with a sweet and lightly cinnamon-y almond filling...these croissants are EVERYTHING. They smell heavenly, too. You know how some croissants can be dry and you end up with more in your lap than in your mouth? Not so with these. The outer layer is crispy with a soft interior. I will absolutely have a stash of these in the freezer the next time we have overnight guests (and, possibly for every day).
Overall rating: 5 of 5 stars

A teenager's (Jack's) review: I am a HUGE fan of croissants. But these are something special... First, you start with a slightly crunchy, buttery outside (which is incredibly tasty). Then, the inside, complemented with a layer of almond paste towards the bottom of the croissant, contrasts very nicely with the buttery outside. A sprinkling of powdered sugar, as in this case, is always a nice add-on.
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Almond Croissants: stock your freezer! 

Also from this week: kiddo has a name (and gets confirmed!) and a first job celebration cake!

Read all of our Trader Joe's sweet treats and dessert reviews!

First Job Celebration Cake!

Jack started his first job last month. We're so proud of this kid. Honestly, he juggles his responsibilities better than I do. Teenagers have more energy, right?

Well, along with first jobs come first paychecks, and even though he thought I was crazy for taking his picture with his check, I did it anyway.

As much as I would love to go up to the tutoring center to watch him work, I know I would have been utterly mortified if my mom had come to the pool to watch me lifeguard when I was 16. (And really, who wants to watch someone sit in an 6-ft high chair and twirl a whistle?)


So, I made a cake. A First Job - First Paycheck Celebration cake. This cake is one I've been making for close to twenty years, but this time I added chocolate chips. Adding chocolate chips is never a bad thing, especially where my chocolate-chip-loving child is concerned.

If you have issues with using a cake mix, please avert your eyes.

This chocolate chip coconut cake comes together in a jiffy and is just the ticket for any celebration.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cake

{makes one 9x13" cake}

cake:
1 box white cake mix
8 ounces sour cream
15.5 ounce can creme of coconut*
1/4 cup oil
3 eggs
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 teaspoon flour

frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound powdered sugar
4 TBSP milk
shredded sweetened coconut

*look for creme of coconut in the drink mixer section of your grocery store

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13" pan.

Start mixing all of the cake ingredients, except the chocolate chips and flour, with an electric mixer on low speed. Once combined, increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.


Toss the chocolate chips with the flour and fold into the batter. Pour into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 40-45 minutes or until done.

Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. On low speed, add in the powdered sugar and milk. Once combined, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy and thickened. Add more sugar or milk to adjust thickness as needed.

{Oh my gosh....that frosting!!!}

Spread the frosting over the cake.


Sprinkle cake with a generous amount of coconut. Store in the refrigerator.

Jack is loving his first job so far. What was yours?

Confirmation Dove Cookies

You may have noticed that the blog has been a little quiet lately. We even missed last Saturday's Trader Joe's review.


The last few weeks have been busy, busy, busy. Two short trips for me (but are you like me and a short trip involves at least 3 days of prep: shopping, errands, the all important pedicure, packing...and then one day to recover, so that a 3 day trip is more like 7?)...kiddo's Confirmation, and our school's big fundraising gala. Can you guess which mom can't say no to signing up for every committee? You guessed it.


I've come to realize over the years that busy is not my strong suit. Some people thrive on it...and are GREAT at it...my sister, my friend Beverly...they can juggle 4 and 5 kids respectively, plan parties, volunteer, clean the house, have the laundry ironed, and redecorate a room all while wearing a smile and lipstick...and I bet they'd be able to keep up with a blog as well. Me? Not so much. Hence, the blog has been on the back burner lately.


ANYWAY...kiddo...(Can we call him Jack now? Yes, I think we can.) JACK celebrated his Confirmation earlier this month. It was the most beautiful ceremony and the most beautiful day.

Mr. E and I sat in the front row in church...wow, it's amazing what you can see up there (!)...and the absolute JOY on the teens' faces as they were confirmed was something to behold.

Here are a few pictures from the reception in the gym. (Why is the lighting in gyms always horrible?!?) Here's Jack with some of his dear friends, his Confirmation sponsor...and us. I'll confess that as this picture was taken, I was saying to myself, "don't do the squinchy eyes; don't do the squinchy eyes." It didn't work.


Confirmation cookies...they're so easy to make.

This cookie cutter was purchased at Target at Christmastime, but you can find some other dove cookie cutters here, here, here, and here.


To make the dove cookies, you'll need:

• cut-out cookies, dove shape
• royal icing, tinted with AmeriColor Bright White
• #2 & #1 icing tips and coupler
• disposable icing bags
• squeeze bottles
• toothpicks
• food coloring pens: black and orange

Use a #2 tip to outline the dove shape. Reserve some of this icing for piping details later.

Thin the icing with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin. Count of 2-3 is good. Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed. Pour into a squeeze bottle. Fill in the outlines with the thinned icing, using a toothpick to guide to the edges and to pop large air bubbles.


Let the cookies set for about 1 hour.  Switch the tip to a #1 and add the white detail piping and personalize, if desired


 Let the cookies dry, uncovered, 6-8 hours or overnight.


Once the icing is completely dry, use food coloring pens to add a beak and an eye.

Place in a treat bag, tie with ribbon, and you have Confirmation gifts at the ready. ♥

Yoghurt Soufflé Cake

Chanced upon this 酸奶蛋糕 yoghurt cake from a Chinese website when I googled for a recipe to use up the two small tubs of yoghurt before they expire.

As mentioned in several Chinese blog posts, the finished cake resembles a Japanese souffle cheesecake. This is something rather 'unusual' from a usual 'yoghurt cake'...which tends to be more dense and butter cake-like.

The cake batter is prepared using the separate eggs method, very much like a chiffon cake and is baked in a water bath just like a Japanese cottony soft cheesecake.

Whipping up the cake was a breeze as the recipe calls for only a few pantry staples plus I am so familiar with making chiffon cakes. Yet, there was a major or minor (depending on how one views it) hiccup after I sent the cake into the oven.

I have set the oven temperature to 170 degC and for the first 30 minutes all went well and the cake rose and domed nicely just over the rim of the pan. However, very soon after that, the cake kept rising and expanding until the top erupted like a volcano! I immediately turned down the temperature to 150 degC but the damage was already done. I left the cake to continue baking and before the baking time was up, it looked more like a tall and gorgeous prosperous huat cake (^_^"). From my previous experience with baking souffle cheesecakes, I should have baked it at 150~160 degC instead.

Thank goodness, once I retrieved the cake from the oven, the exploded top started to close up. Upon cooling, the top sank and I was left with a souffle cheesecake-like cake with a crackly crust, lol. It is definitely a flawed cake but I have learned not to be too obsessed with baking the perfect cake. In the past I would have deemed this as a major let down but I am now able to take things easy and minor hiccups like this wouldn't bother me as much.

The texture of the cake is just like a souffle cheesecake although the tight and compact crumbs makes it look more like a Chinese traditional kueh.

I wouldn't use the adjective delicious to describe this cake. It tastes light and tender very much like a healthier version of a souffle cheesecake without the cream cheese flavour. The next time I were to bake this, I would probably jazz it up with some lemon or orange zest. The yoghurt lends the cake a very slight tangy flavour making it a refreshing dessert especially after it is left to chilled for a few hours in the fridge.  This recipe will be a keeper, there is no doubt that I will grab it whenever I need to use up my yoghurt :)




Yoghurt Soufflé Cake 舒芙蕾酸奶蛋糕

Ingredients:
(makes one 7" cake)

200g plain yoghurt (I used marigold's plain low fat yoghurt)
48g vegetable oil (I used canola/sunflower seed oil)
4 egg yolks (I used eggs with net weight of 55g)
40g cake flour
24g corn flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 egg whites (I used eggs with net weight of 55g)
70g caster sugar (original recipe calls for 80g)


Method:

• Preheat oven to 160 degC.
• Line the base and sides of a 7" round cake pan(fixed base) with parchment paper, set aside. (Note: it is not necessary to grease or line the sides of the pan).
• Sieve together cake flour and corn flour, set aside.
• Place vegetable oil in a mixing bowl. Add yoghurt and whisk with a balloon whisk to combine.
• Add egg yolks, one at a time, whisk to combine.
• Sieve over the flour mixture, whisk to combine. Small lumps may form once the flour is added, whisk the batter gently till there are no lumps.
• Add vanilla extract, whisk to combine.
• In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on low speed until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Add half of the sugar and turn to medium-high speed and beat the mixture. Continue to add in the remaining sugar mixture in separate additions and beat until the egg whites reaches the soft peak stage.The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly. Turn to low speed and beat for another 1 to 2 mins (this helps to stabilise the air bubbles).
• Add the beaten egg whites to the yolk mixture in 3 separate additions, each time fold with a rubber spatula (I prefer to use a balloon whisk) until just blended.
• Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Tap the pan lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.
• Place cake pan in a deep baking tray. Fill the baking tray with hot water (the water should rise up to about 1 inch of the cake pan).
• Place on the lowest rack of the oven and bake at 160 degC for 60 mins. (Note: every oven works differently, lower the temperature by another 10 degC if the cake rise and expands too quickly or if the top starts to crack).
• Remove cake pan from oven and immediately drop the pan at a height of 20~30cm onto the table top. This helps to prevent the cake from shrinking upon cooling. Unmould the cake immediately. To unmold, place a large plate or baking sheet on top of the cake pan, invert the cake pan onto the plate/baking sheet. Remove the cake pan and the parchment paper on the base and sides of the cake (Note: do use oven mitten as the cake pan will be very hot). Next, place a cooling rack on the base of the cake, invert the cake right side up onto the cooling rack and leave to cool completely. Leave the cake to chill in the fridge for about 2 to 3 hours, best overnight, before serving.

Recipe source: adapted from here.

an easy crowd pleaser

I made these easy muffins for my younger child's school outing yesterday. He was supposed to bring sandwiches but we would need to be out the whole morning, I thought it was not a good idea to let sandwiches go without refrigeration for hours especially in hot weather. Upon checking with the organisers, he told me it would be ok to bring muffins instead.

I would love to bake a batch of our favourite blueberry muffins but I decided to opt for a guaranteed crowd pleaser...chocolate-chocolate chips muffins :)

Most chocolate flavoured muffin recipes which I have came across seem to use quite a substantial amount of sugar and fat. I believe they would yield really moist and rich chocolate crumbs, but I prefer something lighter and yet taste as moist and chocolatey. I played around with my usual 'go-to' muffin recipe, substituting a few tablespoons of the flour with cocoa powder and used an extra tablespoon of sugar so that the muffins wouldn't turn out too bitter-sweet.

The result was indeed very satisfactory. The muffins turn out moist and tender despite using less sugar and oil. I guess the yoghurt really works wonders as a great substitute for butter and oil in baking muffins and cakes. The sweetness was just right for us and I love the chocolatey flavour which was further enhanced by the chocolate chips. Just like any easy muffin recipes, these muffins took me no time to prepare. The most important thing was, I didn't have to worry about my boy returning home with a box of leftovers ;)



Double Chocolate Chips Muffins

Ingredients:
(makes 15 small muffins)

240g plain yoghurt (I used low fat yoghurt)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons canola or corn oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
230g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
120g* caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
50g~60g mini chocolate chips

*note: use extra 1~2 tablespoons more sugar if you prefer it to be sweeter


Method:

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, lightly beaten egg, oil, vanilla extract until just combined.
• Sieve flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda into another mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt and whisk to combine.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined. Do Not over mix. (Note: stop stirring once the flour incorporates into the batter, but do check that there is no pockets of flour at the bottom of the bowl). 
• Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Do Not over mix the batter. The finished batter should appear thick and lumpy.
• Spoon batter into paper muffin cups, fill it to about 3/4 full.
• Bake in preheated oven at 190degC for about 20 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with a few crumbs or almost clean (do not over bake). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.