Peanut butter brownies + your comments on a certain post

I’ve been thinking about the comments you left on my post about Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook and thought I might have been misunderstood by some: I agree with the fact that some people are naturally thin and can eat tons of food without gaining 1 single pound – I have cousins and friends that way. Nothing against those people – I wish I were one of them! :D
And I don’t think that one has to be chubby to be a good cook, either - I was joking about the skinny cooks/cookies thing. I don’t buy GP as a cook/baker, but I adore Sophie Dahl, for instance. Something completely personal, I know.

And since I’m not part of the blessed group of people who can eat all the sweets they want, I made these brownies, had one – it was delicious – and sent the other squares to my nephew; he plays a lot of sports and will burn these calories in no time. :D

Peanut butter brownies
slightly adapted from DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style

½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, chopped
252g (9oz) bittersweet chocolate (66-72% cacao), finely chopped
2 large eggs
1 cup (175g) light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (47g) all purpose flour
½ cup chunky peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Lightly butter a 20cm (8in) square baking pan, line with foil leaving an overhang in two opposite sides, then butter the foil as well.
Combine the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). Stir constantly until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt, mixing well until completely incorporated. Stir in the flour, mix well, then transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Smooth the top.
Place teaspoonfuls of peanut butter on the surface of the batter, then swirl the peanut butter into the batter using a fork until it looks marbled. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the brownie has a smooth sheen and looks dry (the peanut butter portions will be tacky). Let cool completely in the pan over a wire rack. Cut into squares to serve.

Makes 16

Nibby financiers

Certain smells, movies, songs – or even certain words – automatically remind us of certain people. In today’s case, it’s food that brings me two lovely friends of mine to mind – it’s impossible for me to bake financiers without thinking of @liliantrigo and Paula. :D

Nibby financiers
adapted from Rose's Heavenly Cakes

2/3 cup (66g) almond meal
1/3 cup + ½ tablespoon (51g) all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
¾ cup (150g) caster (superfine) sugar
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
½ cup cacao nibs, combined in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon all purpose flour

Lightly butter and flour twelve ¼ cup (60ml) capacity muffin or financier pans. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together almond meal, flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar. Add the egg whites, vanilla and melted butter and mix to combine. Stir in the cacao nibs. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, place onto a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the center of a financier comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, let cool in the pans for 5-7 minutes, then carefully unmold onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Makes 12 – I halved the recipe above, used 2-tablespoon capacity pans and got 12 tiny financiers

Chocolate lime pie + popsicles on the side

A couple of days after talking to you about intuition I had an insight while making this pie: since the tart pan I was using was a bit smaller than the one called for on the recipe, there was some filling left. I stared at the velvety cream and thought it would taste amazing as some sort of frozen dessert – I immediately poured the cream into my popsicle molds and ended up with totally addictive treats; I think they were even better than the tart itself, but please do not tell Ms. Lawson I said so. ;)

Chocolate lime pie
again from the wonderful Nigella Kitchen

Base:
3 cups Graham-crackers or digestive cookies crumbs
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Filling:
1 x 395g (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk, better if chilled
4-5 limes, to give approximately 2 tablespoons finely grated zest + ¾ cup (180ml) juice
1 ¼ cups (300ml) heavy cream
1 square bittersweet chocolate

Lightly butter a 23cm (9in) fluted tart pan, 5cm (2in) deep, with a removable bottom.
Put the crackers, cocoa powder, butter and chocolate chips in the bowl of a food processor and process until a sandy mixture forms. Transfer to the prepared tart pan and press onto the base and sides. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
Pour the condensed milk into the large bowl of an electric mixer. Zest the limes into a bowl, tightly cover with plastic wrap and set aside for decorating the tart later. Squeeze the juice of the limes until you get the required amount. Add the juice to the condensed milk and mix to combine.
Pour the heavy cream into the mixture and whisk in medium-high speed until thick. Spread over the tart base and refrigerate again for 4 hours or until filling is very firm (refrigerate for longer if your condensed milk was not chilled).
Before serving, grate the chocolate over the filling and sprinkle with the lime zest. Serve immediately – do not keep the pie out of the refrigerator for long.

Serves 6-8 – my tart pan wasn’t very deep, so there was some filling left; I made popsicles with it and they turned out delicious. :D

Chicken teriyaki

I’ve been cooking for as long as I can remember and in certain periods of my life I did not have much time to spend in the kitchen – I needed delicious yet quick meals for weeknights.
On my days as a single lady I used to make lots of pasta – both my dad and my sister are crazy for it and dinner would be on the table in less than half an hour.

Recently I’ve been trying my hand at Asian recipes and some of them are absolutely delicious – and equally fast. This chicken teriyaki is a great example: it has instantly become a favorite of my husband’s – a.k.a. "the picky eater" – and it took me moments to put it together.

Let me tell you something: if my husband liked it, picky people everywhere will probably like it, too. :D

Chicken teriyaki
slightly adapted from the wonderful Nigella Kitchen

2 tablespoons sake
¼ cup mirin (sweet Japanese Rice wine)
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
4 spring onions, white part only, sliced
splash of sesame oil
800g (1¾ pounds) chicken thigh fillets (no skin or bones), cut into bite-sized pieces
½ tablespoon neutral vegetable oil
freshly ground black pepper
handful of parsley leaves, chopped
rice, to serve

In a bowl large enough to hold all the chicken pieces, mix together the sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, spring onions and sesame oil. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat each one of them in the sauce. Leave for 15-20 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large, shallow frying pan (with a lid) and, using a perforated spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to the pan and sauté until they look cooked on the outside.
Pour the marinade over the chicken, bring to a boil, then cover and turn down the heat, cooking for 5-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thick.
Stir in with freshly ground black pepper and the parsley. Serve immediately with rice.

Serves 4-6 – I halved the recipe above and Joao and I ate every little bit of it. :)

Double chocolate chip cookies - from skinny cooks to skinny cookies

A while ago I was talking to Fezoca (via Twitter) about Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook – I have to say I wasn’t (and still am not) all that excited about it. I think she’s a beautiful woman, can sing really well, but would never make it to my list of favorite actresses – I find her really limited as far as acting is concerned. Anyway, that has nothing to do with the cookbook thing – what doesn’t get me going for it is the fact that she does not look like she actually eats. I feel the same about Giada, for instance.

When it comes to cookies, my opinion is pretty much the same: I’m more inclined to the chubby kinds. That is why these do not rank so high on my best-ever-cookies list – they are delish, but too thin for my taste. :)

Double chocolate chip cookies
slightly adapted from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy

2 cups + ½ tablespoon (285g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (132g) light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup (170g) dark chocolate chips
1 cup (170g) white chocolate chips

Mix the flour and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the butter with the sugars, vanilla and salt. Mix in the eggs. Stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours (or overnight).
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator (let is soften a bit if left in the refrigerator for more than 2 hours). Place 1 slightly rounded tablespoon of dough per cookie onto prepared pans, 7.5cm (3in) apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are golden brown at the edges and no longer look wet on top. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 1-2 minutes. Slide the paper off the sheets onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Cookies can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 4-6 days.

Makes about 60 cookies – I halved the recipe above and got 33 cookies