German chocolate cheesecake bars

I love making cheesecakes but hardly ever remember to buy cream cheese. And there are times when I happily bring home cream cheese packets only to remember, upon arriving, that there are no cookies for the cheesecake base. That's me - I can remember lines from a movie I saw 10 years ago but can't write a proper grocery list. :)
Last week, however, I managed to buy all the necessary ingredients on the same day. I wanted a special cheesecake and I knew exactly where to look for it: the lovely "Tea with Bea" has several cheesecake recipes and they all look amazing. These bars are delicious and since they are very rich a little goes a long way: you can share them with your family and friends.

German chocolate cheesecake bars
slightly adapted from the oh, so beautiful Tea With Bea

Base:
150g digestive cookies
45g unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
400g cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons corn starch
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey
175g dark chocolate, chopped – I used one with 53% cocoa solids
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
37g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
4 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted and cooled
½ cup (55g) pecans, lightly toasted, cooled and coarsely chopped
¼ cup dulce de leche

Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F. Lightly butter a 20cm (8in) square cake pan, line it with foil leaving two overhangs in opposite sides and butter the foil as well.
Crust: place the cookies in a food process and process until finely ground. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer to the base of the prepared pan and press it firmly with your hands. Refrigerate it while you make the filling.
In a large bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula to loosen it up a little. Add the sugar and mix until smooth. Add the egg, mix to combine. Sift the corn starch over the mixture and whisk until combined, removing any lumps. Stir in the heavy cream and the vanilla. Pour over the base and bake for about 35 minutes or until slightly jiggly in the center and the top doesn’t look shiny or wet anymore. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan over a wire rack. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Topping: place the cream and honey in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the honey. Heat until it starts to boil, remove from the heat and immediately add the chocolate. Set aside for 1 minute, then gently stir until melted. Stir in the salt, vanilla and butter, and mix until butter is completely melted. Cool to room temperature – the mixture will thicken as it cools (do not refrigerate).
Spread the chocolate mixture over the cheesecake. Sprinkle with the coconut, then the pecans. Spread the dulce de leche on top by the spoonfuls.
Carefully remove from the pan using the foil and cut into squares or bars.

Makes 16

Apple and polenta cake + a surprise from Cannes

I must confess that reading that “Blue is the Warmest Color” had won the Palme d’Or surprised me quite a bit: not because of the film itself – I haven’t seen it yet so I can’t judge – but because I would never expect a jury presided by Steven Spielberg, a director who very seldom makes adult films, would vote for such a bold film. Maybe Ang Lee had something to do with it (he should have been chosen President of the Jury imo). And even if it was a political choice as some believe it was I’m still surprised, for Spielberg was never the controversial one. I just hope “Blue is the Warmest Color” gets distributed here in Brazil, and soon – I would not like to wait for it as much as I had to for “Drive”.

Something else surprised me weeks ago: Amber Rose’s beautiful cookbook. I don’t worry about nutrition when I bake – I think that if you’re eating a slice of cake or a brownie it’s about pleasure, leave the nutrient talk for your lunch and/or dinner - but I ended up finding Rose’s approach to baking a very interesting one. This cake, for instance, is sweetened with honey instead of sugar, and the result is excellent. Just make sure you use a variety of honey you’re fond of because the flavor is definitely noticed in the cake.

Apple and polenta cake
slightly adapted from the beautiful beyond words Love Bake Nourish (I bought mine here)

Apples:
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter
2 ½ tablespoons honey
450g Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm dice

Cake:
1 cup (100g) almond meal
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (115g) all purpose flour
½ cup + 2 tablespoons (110g) cornmeal
¾ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
150ml honey
½ cup (130g) plain yogurt
3 large eggs
140ml olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prep the apples: melt the butter and honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil and bubble until it caramelizes a little. Add the apples and cook over medium-high heat until the apple pieces are golden and the syrup is sticky, about 5 minutes. Cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20cm (8in) round cake pan, line the bottom with a circle of baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In a large bowl, whisk together the almond meal, all purpose flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, juice, honey, yogurt, eggs, olive oil and vanilla until well combined. Pour into the dry ingredients and fold until combined. Stir in the apples.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack, then carefully unmold. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Serves 8-10

Guinness brownies

One of the great things of having a blog for so long is that after all these years you and I have bonded in such a nice way that I no longer feel ashamed to tell you things like my caipirinha fiasco (no judgmental comments so far). :D I like me some booze occasionally, either for drinking or for baking.

Just like the cake I posted the other day these brownies are a great way of enjoying a beer without having to deal with a headache the morning after: they are chocolatey, very fudgy – to the point of being creamy – and delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Guinness brownies
slightly adapted from the delicious and foolproof Tate's Bake Shop: Baking For Friends

5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, chopped
250g milk chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (80g) all purpose flour
½ cup (45g) unsweetened cocoa powder – I used Dutch-processed
pinch of salt
3 large eggs
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (40g) brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
225ml Guinness or other stout beer
¾ cup (125g) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line 20cm (8in) square baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 5cm (2in) overhang. Butter the foil.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth, cool slightly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa and salt. In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar on high speed until well combined. Beat in the vanilla. On low speed, mix in the chocolate mixture and scrape the sides of the bowl. Still on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients, then the stout. Finish mixing with a spatula, then transfer to prepared pan. Smooth the top and sprinkle with the chocolate chips.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out with moist crumbs, about 50 minutes. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack. Lift up the brownies using the foil and cut into squares.

Makes 16

Roasted tomato and mozzarella panzanella

I have a couple of friends and a brother who are salad haters – they simply can’t stand the sight of leaves piled up on a plate (it’s pretty much what I feel about Michael Bay’s movies, so I can relate). :) I personally love salads because I grew up eating vegetables by the bucketfuls since I was never a fan of meat, and the salads I make nowadays are packed with interesting ingredients such as fruits, nuts, eggs... There’s nothing boring about them. I believe that this panzanella, a recipe I adapted from Jennifer Perillo’s beautiful and delicious book, will please both salad haters and lovers: it was a hit with me, the girl who can’t live without cheese and bread, and the hubby, a.k.a. Mr. Picky Eater. :D

Roasted tomato and mozzarella panzanella
adapted from the wonderful Homemade with Love: Simple Scratch Cooking from In Jennie's Kitchen

300g roasted cherry tomatoes, recipe here

Parmesan croutons:
2 heaping cups cubed day-old baguette
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 heaping tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For assembling the salad:
1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g fresh mozzarella, cut in small cubes
handful of fresh oregano leaves
handful of fresh basil leaves

Croutons: place all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss until the bread cubs are coated.
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the bread and cook turning occasionally, until golden all over, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
In a large, deep bowl whisk together the oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add the croutons, mozzarella, tomatoes, oregano and basil and toss to combine. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes so the croutons can absorb the flavors – do not let it sit more than 15 minutes or the bread will be soggy.

Serves 2 generously

Almond madeleines with limoncello glaze

It’s no secret I adore the Internet and to the list of great things that can be done with it I’ll add planning trips – flights, hotels, restaurant reservations, everything can be done with the computer, not to mention the travel blogs out there and their precious information about the places around the world – my dear friend Tania’s blog was a fantastic source when I was planning my trip to New York, a must-read for a foodie like me.
The hubby and I have plans to go to Paris again sometime in the future and when we do I know exactly where to go for posts not only about the City of Light but also about other destinations in Europe: my lovely and dearest friend Tina’s blog. Too bad it’s just for those who read Portuguese because she’s an amazing writer and her posts are a delight even if you’re not planning any trips.

Speaking of Paris and Europe I bring you today these madeleines: a very French treat with a delicious Italian touch provided by the limoncello.

Almond madeleines with limoncello glaze
adapted from Martha’s lemon madeleines

Madeleines:
50g all purpose flour
½ cup (50g) almond meal
2 large eggs
pinch of salt
80g granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
75g unsalted butter, melted

Glaze:
¾ cup (105g) confectioners’ sugar
½ tablespoon limoncello, or more to taste – I used homemade
about 1 teaspoon water, if necessary

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and almond meal, removing any lumps. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and the salt until frothy, then whisk in the sugar. Whisk in the extracts followed by the flour mixture. Fold in the butter. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Brush twenty-four 1-tablespoon capacity madeleines molds with melted butter and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Fill each mold ¾ of its capacity and bake for 8-10 minutes or until risen, golden and springy to touch. Remove from the oven and immediately unmold onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
Glaze: sift the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Gradually add the limoncello, stirring until you have a drizzable consistency – add more limoncello or the water if necessary. Drizzle over the cooled madeleines and set aside until glaze hardens, about 15 minutes.

Makes 24

Caipirinha drizzle cake

It’s been a lot of fun following Nigella’s comments about her Brazilian trip: for what she’s written she really had a lovely time around here. Apparently one of Nigella's favorite Brazilian treats was the coxinha, described perfectly by her as a sort of chicken croquette – she’s made coxinhas in her kitchen and posted the recipe on her website – along with the caipirinha, the latter being something I can totally relate. :D

Since too many caipirinhas can cause some damage having them in cake form is a good idea – here, I’ve adapted Lily Vanily’s margarita drizzle cake and the result pleased everyone.

Caipirinha drizzle cake
adapted from the delicious Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth: Recipes and Tips from a Modern Artisan Bakery (I bought mine here)

Cake:
225g all purpose flour
½ tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon table salt
60g unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 2 limes
2 large eggs
150ml whole milk, room temperature

Syrup:
¼ cup (60ml) water
90g granulated sugar
¼ cup (60ml) cachaça
¼ cup (60ml) lime juice

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 20cm (8in) round cake pan, line the bottom with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla followed by the lime zest briefly. Add the eggs, one at a time, and scrape the sides of the bowl. In low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients, then the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the sides of the bowl then beat all together for 1 minute.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 20 minutes, then carefully unmold, remove the paper and place it top side up onto the rack.
During those 20 minutes, make the syrup: heat water, sugar, half the cachaça and lime juice in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly, for about 6 minutes, or until you get a thickened syrup that is starting to color. Remove from the heat, add the remaining cachaça, then boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.
Prick the cake all over with a toothpick than generously brush it all over with the syrup. Cool completely before serving.

Serves 8

Marmalade muffins + moments of stress in the kitchen

I was talking to my father about my mother the other day and I remembered something she used to do when my brother and I were little: every time she made a cake she would let us lick the bowl, which was something we both enjoyed very much (I might have told you that already but I’m not sure – 936 posts will do that do one’s mind). :) She was a fabulous baker and baked very often, not only because she loved it but also because she wanted my father and I to have something tasty in our lunch boxes.

Licking the bowl is a sport I still practice – in fact, I’ll gladly try most doughs and batters before actually baking them. What I did not expect was that this habit would actually save me a great amount of stress after a baking session: Sunday morning and I set out to make muffins. I chose Delia Smith’s marmalade muffins because I love anything marmalade and wanted to give that beautiful book a try. The batter was ready in no time and soon the muffins were in the oven. While they baked, I started making the bed and all of a sudden it hit me: I hadn’t added any sugar to the batter!!! O_O I ran back to the kitchen, grabbed the recipe and read it again – no, there was no sugar in it. It wasn’t my mistake. Then I remembered how good the batter tasted and felt instantly relieved: the marmalade alone would be enough to sweeten the muffins. Phew.

These muffins are not too sweet – obviously :) – and the marmalade topping make them even tastier. I’m a sucker for marmalade but I believe these could work with other preserves, too – apricot comes to mind, or maybe raspberry paired with lemon zest.

Marmalade muffins
slightly adapted from the master Delia Smith (mine was bought here)

225g chunky orange marmalade
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
finely grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
whole milk, if necessary
1 heaping tablespoon almond meal
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
50g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

To finish the muffins:
2 heaping tablespoons orange marmalade

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a 1/3-cup capacity muffin pan with 9 paper liners and fill the remaining cavities halfway up with water.
Place the marmalade in a small bowl and give it a good stir to loosen it up. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Zest and juice the orange, then measure the juice – you’ll need ½ cup (120ml); if you don’t have enough juice, make it up with some milk.
In a small bowl, whisk together the zest and juice (and milk, if using), almond meal, egg, vanilla and melted butter. Pour these ingredients into the flour mixture and lightly whisk with a fork – do not overmix or your muffins will be tough. Fold in the marmalade. Divide the batter between the muffin liners and bake for 18-20 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 5 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack and cool. You can serve these muffins warm or at room temperature – before serving, spread the extra marmalade on top of each muffin.

Makes 9

Stracciatella snickerdoodles

Last weekend, as I was baking these cookies and their wonderful smell took over my apartment, I thought that they deserved a fun name – I wasn’t a fan of the original (car-co-doodles), plus it would mean nothing to my Brazilian readers. The freckled dough in the bowl looked like the milk chocolate stracciatella ice cream I made a while ago and that was when I decided to call the cookies stracciatella snickerdoodles. “That name will surely make my readers curious about these cookies”, I thought, and that would maybe convince you to bake them. However, when I took a bite out of a cookie still warm from the oven I knew the convincing would be a lot easier: I would just have to tell you about the delicious, gooey melted chocolate bits dispersed in a cinnamon scented cookie. ;)

Stracciatella snickerdoodles
slightly adapted from the beautiful and delicious More from Macrina: New Favorites from Seattle's Popular Neighborhood Bakery

1 1/3 cups (175g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon table salt
85g (3oz) dark chocolate, chopped – I used chips and roughly chopped them before using
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (175g) packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, room temperature
1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the chocolate pieces and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and brown sugar until light and creamy. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and then the egg, mixing on low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl and add the dry ingredients, mixing until they are just incorporated.
Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 165°C/325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with baking paper.
In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
Let the cookie dough warm at room temperature for 20 minutes. Roll 1 leveled tablespoon of dough into balls and roll them in the cinnamon-sugar. Place 5cm (2in) apart onto prepared sheets. Slightly flatten the cookies and then bake for about 15 minutes until light golden brown. Cool on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Makes about 45 cookies

Lamington bars - lamingtons for the lazy

People often tell me that they admire me for cooking and baking so frequently, and I reply that preparing food really makes me happy. However, I do have some lazy moments, too, of course, and these bars are proof: I’ve always wanted to make lamingtons but kept postponing it because the thought of baking the cake, cutting it into squares, dipping them in chocolate and rolling in coconut made me tired already – not to mention the versions in which the cake squares are filled! :) It’s a lot of work, and I’m not always up for it. Therefore, Donna Hay’s bars are perfect: they are lamingtons made in half the time, or even less, and they taste great.

Lamington bars
from the über beautiful Donna Hay Magazine

Cake:
125g unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1¼ cups (175g) all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
½ cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature
1 cup (100g) sweetened shredded coconut, for sprinkling over the bars

Chocolate icing:
¾ cup (105g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
1/3 cup (80ml) boiling water
1 ½ tablespoons (21g) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20x30cm (8x12in) baking pan, line it with foil and butter ht the foil as well.
Cake: beat the butter, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the mixture and mix until well combined. Stir in the milk. Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer – the cake won’t color much. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack.
Icing: place the icing sugar, cocoa, water and butter in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Cut the cake into squares and carefully pour over icing. Top with coconut.

Makes 20

Ricotta and spinach stuffed shells - a nice idea for lunch on Mother's Day

Nigella promoted her cookbook in several different TV shows here in Brazil and in one of them she baked her chocolate banana muffins – she said that they would be a nice treat for breakfast on Mother’s Day. Her comment reminded me of this recipe I cooked a while ago, the first one I tried from Martha’s wonderful vegetarian cookbook: I find it perfect for a celebration day, since it can be put together in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator; all you need to do is let it come to room temperature, then bake it – easy-peasy.

Unfortunately I no longer have my mom around, but if I did I would probably make her both the muffins and the pasta bake – spoiling people with food is one of my favorite sports. ;)

Ricotta and spinach stuffed shells
adapted from the absolutely beautiful Meatless: More Than 200 of the Very Best Vegetarian Recipes

Tomato sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ large onion, finely diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 400g (14oz) can peeled tomatoes
¼ teaspoon sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
handful of fresh basil leaves
handful of fresh oregano leaves

Pasta and filling:
16 pasta shells (6cm each)*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
100g frozen spinach, unthawed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of freshly nutmeg
1 ¼ cups fresh ricotta – I used homemade
¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped

Make the sauce: in a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and the sugar. Fill 1/3 of the can with water, swirl it around and add to the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper, break the tomatoes with a wooden spoon then cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the basil and oregano, stir to combine, cover and remove from the heat.
Cook shells in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and let cool. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

Filling: in a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the spinach and cook until it thaws, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and remove from the heat. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, parmesan, spinach and parsley. Season again with salt and pepper.
Coat a 25x15cm (6x10in) ovenproof baking dish with the sauce. Generously spoon filling into shells and arrange in pan, dipping them into the sauce. Cover with foil and bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes.

* some shells might break in the boiling water, so it’s a good idea to cook more shells than you actually need

Serves 2 generously

White chocolate, pistachio and lemon cookies

Due to incorrect information given by the bookstore over the phone I arrived really early at the mall last Friday to get Nigella’s autograph; with all that time in our hands my sister and I needed something to do, so we ate lunch and then went to the movies. The options are pretty limited these days with “Iron Man 3” taking over half the theaters, so “Evil Dead” was our choice. The original terrified my teenage years and I thought that this version would be even scarier, but it turned out to be softer – at least in my opinion. I was expecting sheer horror after watching the trailer – I was so scared I couldn’t watch it properly and thought Zac Efron was in the movie when it was really Shiloh Fernandez (!) – but the 1981 version is a lot scarier. Needless to say, my sister liked the movie a lot. :)

I usually bake a lot on weekends but because my legs hurt so much I ended up resting more than anything. Slice and bake cookies are wonderful for times like those: if you have a log of dough in your freezer you’re only moments away from freshly baked cookies – and that is never a bad thing, right? :) If you agree with me, I suggest this recipe: the flavor combo is delicious and the dough can be kept in the freezer for up to one month – let it sit on the counter while you preheat the oven and the log will soften up a little, enough to be sliced.

White chocolate, pistachio and lemon cookies
from the always delicious and foolproof The Good Cookie: Over 250 Delicious Recipes from Simple to Sublime

195g (7oz) white chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup (95g) shelled unsalted pistachios
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
½ cup (88g) light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the white chocolate in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to small pieces. Add the pistachios and pulse again until finely chopped.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in zest and vanilla. At low speed, mix in the flour mixture. Stir in the pistachio mixture. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place each on a piece of parchment paper; shape dough into logs. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a 3.5 cm (1.4in) log – like Martha does here. Wrap in parchment. Chill in the freezer until very firm.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Unwrap one log at a time (keep the other in the freezer). Cut into 6mm (¼in) thick rounds; space 5cm (2in) apart onto prepared sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown around the edges, 11-13 minutes. Cool completely on the sheets over a wire rack.

Makes about 50 cookies

Coconut and cherry banana bread and meeting Nigella

Something I never imagined possible happened a couple of days ago: I met Nigella Lawson! :) No, I wasn’t dreaming – she actually came to Brazil to promote her book "Nigella Kitchen" and I went to the book signing held in Sao Paulo. I had to stand in line for four hours – my legs hurt like hell up to this moment – but it was all worth it: the woman is a goddess. Beautiful beyond words, she greeted me with a kind smile and we talked for a couple of minutes before she signed my book – I was so smitten that I told her she was wonderful twice. :)

While leaving the bookshop I told my sister (who was with me the whole time, even though she did not quite know who Nigella was) that I felt really inspired to cook and bake after meeting Nigella. She told me that I should make one of Nigella’s recipes, and I did: a moist, perfumed banana loaf that lighten up my kitchen the same way Ms. Lawson lightened up my Friday. <3

Coconut and cherry banana bread
from the beautiful, always delicious and now autographed Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home

125g soft unsalted butter
4 small-medium bananas (450g/1 pound unpeeled), mashed
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (160g) plain flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2/3 cup dried cherries – mine were really big, so I coarsely chopped them
1 1/3 cups (133g) desiccated coconut – I used sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F*. Lightly butter a 900g (2lb) loaf pan, line it with baking paper and butter the paper as well – I used a 21x11xcm (8½x4½in) loaf pan.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, and take it off the heat. Cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat the sugar into the cooled, melted butter, then beat in the mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla. Fold in the flour mixture. Finally, add the dried cherries and coconut. Fold well so that everything is incorporated, then pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for about 50 minutes, but start checking after 45 – a skewer inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove it from the pan and cool completely over a wire rack.

* out of distraction I ended up baking my bread at 180°C/350°F

Serves 8-10

Orange and pistachio financiers

Financiers are one of my favorite baked goods: I love their chewy texture and they are also very versatile when it comes to flavors – the sky is the limit. A small bag of pistachios in the freezer was the perfect excuse for baking these financiers: since the lemons I had in my fridge were reserved for a cake I replaced their zest with orange and I think the result was better than the one from the original recipe.

Orange and pistachio financiers
slightly adapted from the always sinful and delicious Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth

½ cup (50g) almond meal
1 cup (135g) unsalted pistachios, lightly toasted and cooled
1 ½ cups (210g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 2 oranges
8 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (105g) all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 cup (2 sticks/226g) unsalted butter, melted

Combine the almond meal, pistachios and the confectioners’ sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture is very fine and powdery.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the granulated sugar, orange zest, egg whites and vanilla just until smooth. Sift the flour and salt together over the batter and fold in gently. Carefully stir in the butter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Generously butter 24 financier molds. Fill each mold ¾ full and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden and firm. Remove from the oven and immediately unmold onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioners’ sugar to serve, if desired.

Makes 24 – I halved the recipe above, used 2-tablespoon capacity molds and got 24 financiers

Chocolate whisky cupcakes with peanut butter icing

Every time a new DH magazine issue arrives I go crazy with so many delicious recipes and it’s a tough task to choose which one to make first. This time, however, it was a bit easier: I decided I would only make something if I had all the ingredients home. Since I was out of cream cheese all the gorgeous cheesecakes would have to wait, that way I settled for these cupcakes: tender and deeply chocolaty, they are enhanced by the delicious icing. The original recipe called for smooth peanut butter but I used crunchy and thought that it worked really well, adding a nice bite to the smooth frosting. The recipe also called for a caramel sauce to be poured over the frosting but to me the cupcakes were sweet enough without it – more sugar wouldn’t do them any good.

Chocolate whisky cupcakes with peanut butter icing
slightly adapted from the always delicious and stunning Donna Hay Magazine

Cupcakes:
200g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons whisky
140g unsalted butter, chopped
½ cup (45g) Dutch-processed cocoa, sifted
2 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
275g granulated sugar

Peanut butter icing:
160g icing sugar, sifted
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
80g unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a 12-hole (½ cup capacity each) cupcake pan with paper liners.
Cupcakes: in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Place the whisky and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa. Add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla and whisk to combine. Whisk in the sugar, then the flour mixture and mix until smooth. Pour the batter equally into the prepared pan (don’t go over 1/3 of the capacity or the batter might overflow) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until risen and cooked through when tested with a skewer. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Icing: place the sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale and fluffy, 6-8 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the cream and beat for 1 minute. Spread the icing over the cooled cupcakes.

*homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Makes 12 – I halved the recipe above, used 1/3-cup capacity muffin pans and got 9 cupcakes