Pecan Bread

J:  Okay, guys, we owe you all an apology for being on hiatus for so long without any warning.  Truth be told, the last couple of weeks have been difficult in terms of cooking; I’ve been traveling a lot and going out to eat a fair bit since my parents were in town last weekend, so I’ve been eating pretty simply when I do get a chance to eat at home.  And Erik has been busy with the end of the school year, graduating from college (!) and moving all his stuff back from his dorm room, and getting ready to move down South with me (!!!).  But things are calm for the next week or so, for me at least, so we do have a couple things lined up for you, and hopefully once he’s settled in here we’ll be able to return to our regular schedule of posting once every three days.

Those of you who’ve been reading for a little while might remember this post, in which I referenced some “drop-dead-delicious” pecan bread that I made with the leftover streusel I had sitting around once the muffins were done.  I didn’t photograph that because I had no idea how it would turn out, but as it happens, it was kind of amazing!  So now I’ve recreated it, with a few changes and additions, and it was, if possible, even tastier this time around.  Also, it is an absurdly easy recipe.  Give it a shot!

Devil’s Food Cupcakes

J:  Erik found this recipe on The Wednesday Chef, and as soon as I saw it I needed no convincing to make these delicious cupcakes.  I’ve actually not made cupcakes since I started on my foodie journey, so this was a fun little deviation from the usual desserts in the form of various types of cookies or brownies.  It’s kind of a long process, just because there’s a fair bit of waiting between steps to let the cupcakes cool and then do various sinfully delicious things to them (because clearly they weren’t already sinful enough).  But it’s so worth it!  These have such an absurdly rich chocolate flavor.  The cream filling is really a must; when they were finished, they kind of reminded me of Hostess cupcakes, being cream-filled and all, but they are worlds better, both in taste and in ingredients (not that either of these things would be terribly hard to achieve).

So, in case the description and photo weren’t enough to convince you, read on: once you get to the end of this recipe, I’m pretty positive that you’ll want to make these as much as I did.

Chocolate Idiot Cake

J:  This is the second time I’ve made this cake.  The first time was back in the days before Nombudsman existed, and while I think there were some things that worked better the first time and some that worked better the second time, both times the cake was pretty indisputably delicious.  It is called the “chocolate idiot cake” because, according to its creator David Lebovitz, it is so easy to make that only an idiot could mess it up.  And seriously it’s true; as long as you follow the directions and bake it for some amount of time it will be ridiculously tasty.

The first time I made this cake, it set completely.  This time around I was making it for a Seder (yay for flourless cakes!) and was in a rush to get there on time, so it did not set entirely — I literally pulled it out of the oven as soon as the top was set (which took way longer than Mr. Lebovitz said it would!), wrapped it in dish towels, and bolted out the door. But according to the people who ate it, it was still “disgusting” (in a good way) and “one of the best things I’ve ever tasted” and “the uncooked part was the best!”  So, yeah, I didn’t get many complaints.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

E: Oreo cookies are one of the great embarrassments for the foodie that I’ve become in the time since I first realized that cooking was not only easy but fun. They are a guilty pleasure for me, a taste of my childhood despite the fact they were never allowed in the house. Oreos were one of those things that made it more exciting to go to friends’ houses, or to stop at gas stations during long road trips. And to this day, if someone nearby opens a package, I am almost guaranteed to consume a dreadful number of them. I have a sixth-sense for where they are, and once I find them I can’t stop at one or two or three (or six . . .). It is a strange thing for me, because I usually don’t over-eat, but after stopping at the eighth oreo I find myself unable to look their Nutrition Facts in the face for several days.

Real Mint Chocolate Cookies

E: Alright, today we have more adventures in cookies made with real ingredients. Last time it was these cookies made with brewed espresso instead of instant coffee. Today it is mint chocolate cookies, made with real mint. Joanna and I had some mint left over from another recipe, and so we decided to go out on a limb and try something daring. She’s not really a fan of mint, but I love it. And oddly enough I think she liked these cookies a little more than I did. For once I felt they needed more sugar, when she felt they were sweet enough. So I’ll present the recipe just as we made them, and you can decide for yourself if you want more sugar in them. You could probably go up to 1/2 cup of each without having to make any other changes.

Espresso-Mocha Cookies

E: Do you love espresso? Do you love cookies? Would you love to have espresso in cookie form? If you are reading this post, the answers to those three questions should clearly be yes. I decided to try making these cookies after realizing that every recipe I had seen for coffee-flavoured desserts used powdered instant coffee (mostly Starbucks Via these days, as I guess it is that much more “real” than other instant coffees). I decided it was time to change that. Real coffee in general is just such a wonderful thing. When it is made with good, fresh beans in an espresso machine, it is far better–if you aren’t a fan of the strength of espresso, though I personally find a well-made espresso so smooth that the strength isn’t a problem, try a watered-down “caffè americano” style espresso some time. I think you’ll find it better than drip or French-press coffee. Anyway, I digress.

Ginger Lime Cookies

J:  I made these cookies for Erik for Valentine’s Day, modifying a recipe I found for lemon ginger cookies because I thought using lime would be more exciting.  Now, my expectation was that I’d like these but wouldn’t go crazy over them for a few reasons: I am a chocolate fiend and these have no chocolate in them; I am not a huge fan of crystallized ginger; and I can only handle so much citrus at once.  I was so wrong.  I bit into one and realized that in an instant these had gone from the ultimate underdogs to my second-favorite no-chocolate-involved cookies of all time (first place going to these, of course).  These cookies are just sweet enough, smooth and buttery, melt-in-your-mouth, with lovely notes of lime underscoring it all — and the little nuggets of ginger shine through beautifully, almost like panning for gold in each bite.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

J: Yes, that is a long title.  Anything shorter wouldn’t capture the full awesomeness of these cookie bars.  These were born out of the idea of making some combination of cookies and brownies; we eventually decided on trying to combine two recipes, but ended up really just using one and making a few minor changes.  They turned out closer to cookie bars than to the delightful cookie-brownie marriage we’d initially envisioned, but they were ridiculously addictive nonetheless.  And SO EASY!